When the Sun Goes Down
by emjwarriorcatz
Summary: Two seasons after The Last Hope ends, the Clans continue to live in strained peace around the lake. But when a sudden flood forces them to flee from their home again, the cats travel to the mountains for help. Unfortunately, the Tribe seems to be having their own problems. Also, a jealous sister creates a prophecy in revenge of her living siblings who all got the lives she didn't.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**So this takes place after **_**The Last Hope**_**, people! There might be some spoilers.**

**I do not own Warriors!**

**A few characters here and there © me**

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_**ALLEGIANCES**_

**THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER:

BRAMBLESTAR- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY:

SQUIRRELFLIGHT- dark ginger she-cat with one white paw and green eyes

MEDICINE CAT:

JAYFEATHER- gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

APPRENTICE, BRIARLIGHT- dark brown she-cat with limp back legs and amber eyes, former warrior

WARRIORS:

MILLIE- striped silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICE, LILYPAW

BRACKENFUR- golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

SORRELTAIL- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

CLOUDTAIL- long-haired white tom with blue eyes

BRIGHTHEART- white she-cat with ginger patches, one scarred eye, one blue eye, and shredded ears

APPRENTICE, SEEDPAW

THORNCLAW- golden-brown tabby tom with green eyes

LEAFPOOL- light brown tabby she-cat with white chest and paws; amber eyes; former medicine cat

SPIDERLEG- long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

BIRCHFALL- light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

WHITEWING- white she-cat with green eyes

BERRYNOSE- cream-colored tom with blue eyes and a stubby tail

APPRENTICE, AMBERPAW

POPPYFROST- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with yellow eyes

MOUSEWHISKER- gray-and-white tom with green eyes

LIONBLAZE- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

FOXLEAP- reddish tabby tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE, SNOWPAW

TOADSTEP- black-and-white tom with yellow eyes

APPRENTICE, DEWPAW

ROSEPETAL- dark cream she-cat with blue eyes

BLOSSOMFALL- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

BUMBLESTRIPE- very pale gray tom with black stripes and handsome blue eyes

DOVEWING- pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

IVYPOOL- silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

CHERRYSTEM- ginger she-cat with amber eyes

MOLEFOOT- brown-and-cream tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICES:

LILYPAW- dark tabby she-cat with white patches and amber eyes

SEEDPAW- very pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

AMBERPAW- pale gray she-cat with white paws, muzzle, right ear, and amber eyes

SNOWPAW- white tom with amber eyes

DEWPAW- gray tom with amber eyes

QUEENS:

HAZELTAIL- gray and white queen with green eyes (Mother to Foxleap's kits: Smokykit- gray tom-kit with blue eyes, and Larchkit- ginger-and-white tom-kit with blue eyes)

ICECLOUD- white queen with blue eyes (Expecting kits)

CINDERHEART- gray tabby queen with blue eyes (Expecting Lionblaze's kits)

ELDERS:

GRAYSTRIPE- long-haired gray tom with yellow eyes

**SHADOWCLAN**

LEADER:

ROWANSTAR- ginger tom with green eyes

DEPUTY:

TAWNYPELT- pale tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

MEDICINE CAT:

MISTCLOUD- spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

WARRIORS:

SMOKEFOOT- black tom with a ragged pelt and green eyes

CROWFROST- black and white tom with green eyes

RATSCAR- brown tom with a long scar across his back, yellow teeth, and green eyes

SNOWBIRD- sleek, pure-white she-cat with green eyes

OWLCLAW- light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, REDPAW

SHREWFOOT- gray she-cat with black paws and amber eyes

SCORCHFUR- dark gray tom with a torn ear and dark amber eyes

TIGERHEART- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

PINENOSE- black she-cat with green eyes

FERRETCLAW- cream-and-gray tom with green eyes

STARLINGWING- ginger tom with green eyes

SPARROWFLIGHT- large tabby tom with amber eyes

DEWFALL- gray she-cat with blue eyes

KINKFUR- tabby she-cat with fur that sticks out at all angles and blue eyes

IVYTAIL- long-furred black, white, and tortoiseshell queen with green eyes

APPRENTICES:

REDPAW- huge black and reddish-brown tom with blue eyes

QUEENS:

OLIVENOSE- tortoiseshell queen with green eyes (Mother to Smokefoot's kits: Flamekit- mostly ginger tortoiseshell tom with blue eyes, Wetkit- dark gray tom with blue eyes, and Russetkit- dark ginger she-kit with blue eyes)

DAWNPELT- cream-furred queen with amber eyes (Expecting Crowfrost's kits)

ELDERS:

TOADFOOT- dark brown tom with green eyes

APPLEFUR- mottled brown she-cat with green eyes

SNAKETAIL- dark brown tom with a tabby-striped tail and green eyes

**WINDCLAN**

LEADER:

ONESTAR- elderly, frail, small light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY:

ASHFOOT- thin gray she-cat with blue eyes

MEDICINE CAT:

KESTRELFLIGHT- brownish-gray tom with white splotches and green eyes

APPRENTICE, MOORPAW- wiry pale brown tom with amber eyes

WARRIORS:

CROWFEATHER- very dark gray, almost black, tom with blue eyes

WHISKERNOSE- light brown tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, TICKLEPAW

GORSETAIL- very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICE, QUICKPAW

HARESPRING- brown and white tom with green eyes

LEAFTAIL- dark tabby tom with amber eyes

EMBERFOOT- gray tom with two darker gray paws and yellow eyes

HEATHERTAIL- light brown tabby she-cat with smoky, heather-blue eyes

SWALLOWTAIL- dark gray she-cat with amber eyes

FURZEPELT- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

BOULDERFUR- large, pale gray tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICES:

TICKLEPAW- white she-cat with yellow eyes

QUICKPAW- dark ginger tom with green eyes

QUEENS:

SEDGEWHISKER- pale, light brown tabby queen with blue eyes (Mother to Whiskernose's kits: Antkit- brown tom-kit with blue eyes, Dewkit- gray-brown she- kit with blue eyes, Thistlekit- dark brown tom-kit with blue eyes, and Willowkit- gray she-kit with blue eyes)

SUNSTRIKE- tortoiseshell queen with a large white mark on her forehead and blue eyes (Expecting Harespring's kits)

ELDERS:

OWLWHISKER- pale light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

WEASELFUR- ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

WHITETAIL- white she-cat

**RIVERCLAN**

LEADER:

REEDSTAR- sleek black tom with dark gray eyes

DEPUTY:

GRAYMIST- pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

MEDICINE CAT:

WILLOWSHINE- small dark gray tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

WARRIORS:

MINTFUR- light gray tabby tom with amber eyes

ICEWING- pure-white she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICE, STREAMPAW

MALLOWNOSE- light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

ROBINWING- tortoiseshell-and-white tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICE, CREEKPAW

PETALFUR- gray-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

APPRENTICE, WATERPAW

GRASSPELT- light brown tom with blue eyes

HOLLOWFLIGHT- dark brown tabby tom with a pale-furred belly and amber eyes

MOSSYFOOT- brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes

DUSKFUR- brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

FLOODWATER- bluish-gray tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICES:

STREAMPAW- brown and white she-cat with blue eyes

CREEKPAW- brown tom with amber eyes

WATERPAW- blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

QUEENS:

TROUTSTREAM- pale gray tabby queen with yellow eyes (Mother to Mintfur's kit: Beetlekit- light gray tabby tom-kit with blue eyes)

RUSHTAIL- light brown tabby queen with short legs and green eyes (Expecting Mallownose's kits)

ELDERS:

MINNOWTAIL- dark gray she-cat with fluffy fur and amber eyes

PEBBLEFOOT- mottled gray tom with green eyes

**TRIBE OF RUSHING WATER**

HEALER:

TELLER OF THE POINTED STONES (STONETELLER) - dark gray tom with amber eyes

PREY-HUNTERS:

GRAY SKY BEFORE DAWN (GRAY) - pale gray tabby tom with blue eyes

WING SHADOW OVER WATER (WING) - gray-and-white she-cat with blue-green eyes

FLIGHT OF STARTLED HERON (FLIGHT) - brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

SCREECH OF ANGRY OWL (SCREECH) - black tom with amber eyes

PEBBLE THAT ROLLS DOWN MOUNTAIN (PEBBLE)-pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM (BROOK)-brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes

DARK SHADOW ON WATER (DARK) - black tom with amber eyes

CAVE-GUARDS:

STORMFUR- dark gray tom with amber eyes, formerly of RiverClan

SHEER PATH BESIDE WATERFALL (SHEER) -small dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

SNOW FALLING ON STONES (SNOW)-white she-cat with blue eyes

RAIN THAT PASSES QUICKLY (RAIN)-speckled gray she-cat with blue eyes

KIT-MOTHERS:

SPLASH WHEN FISH LEAPS (SPLASH) - light brown tabby she-cat with a stubby tail and green eyes (Expecting Screech's kits)

MOSS THAT GROWS BY RIVER (MOSS) - light brown she-cat with blue eyes (Mother to Sheer's kits: Feather of Crow's Wing [Feather]-black she-kit with blue eyes, and Ice That Glades Over Snow [Ice]-white she-kit with faint, creamy pale brown stripes and blue eyes)

TO-BES:

LARK THAT SINGS AT DAWN (LARK)-pale tabby she-cat with blue eyes (prey- hunter)

PINE THAT CLINGS TO ROCK (PINE)-light brown tom with blue eyes (cave-guard)

ELDERS:

TALON OF SWOOPING EAGLE (TALON)-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS**

FLORA- brown-and-white rogue she-cat with green eyes that lives in the mountains

STRIPES- silver tabby rogue tom with blue eyes that lives in the mountains

FLICK- brown rogue tom with amber eyes that lives in the mountains

TWIST- tortoiseshell rogue she-cat with amber eyes that lives in the mountains

NIGHT OF NO STARS (NIGHT)- black she-cat with green eyes, formerly of the Tribe (Mother to Sheer's kits: Whisper Caught in the Breeze [Whisper]-black-and-white she-kit with blue eyes, and Finch of Golden Wings [Finch]-long-furred golden she-kit with blue eyes)

_**PROLOGUE**_

Chilly winds whipped the treetops backand forth, creating a blur of green, red, and gold leaves, insinuating the approach of leaf-fall.

Various debris like chunks of wood or even whole branches were peppered around a huge clearing coated with a blanket of thick, soft green moss. Suddenly, another great gust of wind sent the litter hurtling away, over the edge of the mountains.

As a wide sliver of bark tumbled after its relatives, a small hole was revealed, perfectly shaped as though carved by man; it was deep enough to house a newborn plant. With just luck, a seed fluttered down into the soil, and with one last breeze, crumbly brown earth was dumped on top of the seed.

This wasn't just any seed, however; if one caught a glimpse of nature's tiny, unique creation before it was buried, they would notice how oddly shaped it was. In fact, it almost appeared as though a cat had slit through a poppy seed and lily seed- respectively- perfectly in half, then put one half from each seed together.

Maybe that was what it was.

Immediately after the breeze came a nasty thunderstorm, signifying the last breath of greenleaf. Rain poured down into the clearing, right into the small area where the moss had been ripped away. Where the strange seed was.

As suspected, the seed germinated, and within a few sunrises a small green sprig made of stem and leaves had sprouted.

Rough weather blossomed in the mountains after another few days' time. Despite all the winds and chilly air, the plant still grew steadily, and, much, much unusual to its environment and type of plant, gave birth to two beautiful flowers.

On one side, a breathtaking blood-red flower was in full bloom. It had a dark, almost blackish-purple middle lined with tiny seeds.

On the other side, pure white petals spread to reveal a few precious green strands topped with a soft brown blob nestled in a bedding of pollen- a bee's heaven.

A poppy and a lily had, against all logical thinking, sprouted together in one plant, a rare instance that unfortunately would never be viewed by a being who would care.

The fresh, pretty flowers were short-lived, however, and before long they were shriveled and almost dead. Dried poppy seeds seemed to hop off their mother, rolling on down the slope. The nectar inside the lily dissipated.

An odd hot wave passed over the clearing. The customarily moist moss suffered heavily, its roots begging for water as more days passed without a rain to relieve the heat-infected area.

At this point the once-pretty poppy and lily pair was anything but dust- and when a tiny flame appeared nearby the struggling plant, all was over.

The fire spread like, well, wildfire, as it tore over the clearing, blackening any moss or hope of life from something green in its path. This, unfortunately, included the poppy and lily twins.

Gradually, the fire diminished, minimizing its presence until all that was left of it was a few sparks, slaughtered by the following wet precipitation. This concluded the heat wave, much to the relief of the moss, which grew back after a moon or so.

Cinder ashes remained still, marking the long, smoky streak the fire had left over the land. It took a few snowfalls to remove every last bit of gray rubble, but soon it was all gone.

Amongst all the chaos lately, an alluring ivory dove glided down into the clearing, landing gracefully onto the moss. Its orange feet pranced around the space, and the bird's feathers shook from the cold, but the dove stayed nevertheless. It continued on, pecking around the moss until it came upon the bare spot where the poppy and lily had been, melded together as one plant. With a few more pokes at the bare earth, the dove's head seemed to bob up and down as though it were nodding; then it took flight and disappeared into the clouds.

It returned within heartbeats, a long ivy tendril dangling from the dove's pointed beak. The bird alighted again, waddling over to the spot it had examined before. Now the dove set down the ivy vine. It was long and winding, as well as inviting with its large, comfy leaves that would make a good nest for the small creature. The dove nosed the tendril into place, then curled up in the center of it, resting its beak on the side.

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**EDIT: Fixed Reedstar and Willowshine's eye colors, and added Whitetail to the WindClan elders.**

**Kind of odd and boring prologue, huh? Oh well… next chapter you'll get a cat's POV!**


	2. The Lily and the Seed

**Please note that the beginning section of this chapter will really have no effect on the story later on. I started this over a year ago in, like, April 2012 and I forgot about this part when I continued writing later on.**

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"I will have Seedpaw forever. Ha!"

Lilypaw writhed and squirmed, but no matter how hard she tried to get out of that mess, her paws only remained pasted to the ground with sticky, bubbly mud.

"No, no! I won't let you!" she screamed, straining her neck in the strange cat's face.

The cat was a dark tabby tom with a deep, menacing voice and fur that stank of dead, moldy leaves, dirty rivers, and season-old wet moss. Lilypaw hated him with all her might- but he wouldn't leave her alone! This was the third night he had visited her… now Lilypaw dreaded whenever the sun went down.

Finally, the tom started to fade. Lilypaw stared pointedly at the mist of a cat. Then he was gone.

**OoOoO**

Lilypaw awoke with a shudder. However, it appeared that she wasn't the first apprentice to wake up that morning.

She locked gazes with a weary Seedpaw. Behind her sister, Amberpaw, Snowpaw, and Dewpaw blinked their eyes open, looks still bleary with sleep.

"Er… sorry," Lilypaw coughed. As innocently as she could, Lilypaw sat up and smoothed down her fur with a prickly tongue. _Awkward… _She could still feel irritated stares fixed on her.

"Sorry? _Sorry _is all you have to say?" Seedpaw demanded suddenly. Her sibling stepped forward until Seedpaw's hot breath wafted around Lilypaw's scrunched-up face. "I wanted to know if _you _knew that this has happened the two previous mornings as well. Huh?"

Lilypaw bit her lip. Lately, she and Seedpaw hadn't been getting along well. She didn't know why. "Okay. I'll… pay you back or something like that. What do you want, a free piece of fresh-kill? Or I could request a day off for you."

Seedpaw rolled her eyes, green irises glancing at the roof of the den for a heartbeat. "Like that would ever happen," she scoffed once her gaze was refocused on her littermate. "Let's get more serious. How about I…"

But, Seedpaw was interrupted by the sound of Brightheart's voice calling into the den. "Come on now, Seedpaw and Lilypaw- Millie and I would like to talk to you two."

Lilypaw's stomach twisted. What was her sister about to say? And, what did Brightheart and Millie want to speak with them about?

Lilypaw and Seedpaw exchanged a nervous fleeting look with each other; then, argument forgotten, the siblings bounded out of the apprentices' den in a flurry of dark tabby and pale ginger pelts.

**OoOoO**

"We would like to discuss your training," Millie began once Lilypaw and Seedpaw faced their mentors.

Anxiously Lilypaw's eyes flashed from she-cat to she-cat. She and Seedpaw were Millie and Brightheart's first apprentices, although they both had gray flecks in their furry coats. Lilypaw knew just why Brightheart and Millie were first-time trainers: Millie was a former kittypet, and Brightheart had lost an eye in a fight with a dog long ago. Nevertheless, Lilypaw still respected her mentor Millie with all her might despite her kittypet origins, as she knew that the now dead leader Firestar, who was killed by a falling tree when she was less than a moon old, used to be a kittypet.

Lilypaw felt her stomach twist into a tangled, leafy bush branch as Millie continued to meow.

"Brightheart and I feel that- well, not to be mean- one of you is doing really good, but the other… not so much," Millie said.

Suddenly, Lilypaw received sick emotions from her tummy. What if she was the failing one? Lilypaw could just picture it all in her head:

_"I name you Seedawesome. StarClan approves your awesomeness and being better than Lilykit. I welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Bramblestar would say._

_ Seedawesome would smile and look at Lilypaw, who would be renamed Lilykit and sitting in front of the nursery with her annoyed mother, Sorreltail, who thought she was done with the nursery._

_ "Sorry, you have an extra six moons to go," Seedawesome would then laugh and prance away, Amberpaw, Dewpaw, and Snowpaw clinging to her side as if they were feeding bugs off her pelt._

However, another better thought soon hit Lilypaw's mind- what if _she _was the succeeding one? Recently Seedpaw had been much too arrogant and ornery to Lilypaw- she'd deserve to fail after all her nasty behavior.

_"Lilystar? Already?" Seedpaw, or, Seedkit, would ask in disbelief. _

_ "That's right, failure," Lilystar'd say. "And I'm going to make sure that you'll stay as a kit for another twelve moons."_

_ Seedkit would flatten her ears and sadly cry out, "You promised I'd be your deputy, Lilystar! Please let me be your deputy!"_

_ Lilystar would shake her head and smile happily. "Not after twelve moons of being a kit, twelve moons of apprentice training, twelve moons of being a warrior, twelve moons of being a senior warrior. Then my current deputy will have to die, but I doubt he will."_

_ "But why, Lilystar?"_

_ "You want to know why? It's the way you've been treating me."_

_ Treating me… _Treating me…

Lilypaw snapped back to the present and dove into the conversation again.

Now Brightheart was speaking, and Lilypaw listened to the ginger-and-white she-cat's words carefully: "This evening we will find the failing apprentice and ask of them better. More practices will be added to each day for them. You are dismissed- happy day off!"

Lilypaw didn't know which she felt more- relief or dread.

**OoOoO**

A little later, Lilypaw was scanning the camp with eyes still blurry from her early night nap.

Her eyes fell on the nursery, which at this time almost three moons ago she was still sleeping in with Seedkit and Sorreltail. Brackenfur, their father, would check in on them every chance he got, between patrols and such. Lilykit and Seedkit's older sisters, Cinderheart and Poppyfrost, would sometimes come for a visit too. When they did come, Poppyfrost and Cinderheart told wonderful stories of their deceased littermates, Molepaw and Honeyfern. They were all a big happy family.

Now, in their place were Hazeltail and her kits. The expecting queen Icecloud lived there too.

Lilypaw watched as Hazeltail herded her two sons, Smokykit and Larchkit, into the nursery. The gray-and-white queen eyed the gray, overcast sky nervously.

Icecloud heaved her heavily-weighted body up and purred as Larchkit tripped over his brother. "They're always so lively," she said with a whisk of her tail. "I can't wait for mine to arrive!" She seemed to pay no mind to the approaching weather.

Hazeltail shrugged. "You get sick of them after a while," she replied. "Two is enough for me- I hope you don't have more than I did. I still can't believe how Daisy handled Berrynose, Mousewhisker, and I." Hazeltail sniffed sadly, and Lilypaw recalled her horseplace mother's death the previous moon.

Icecloud smiled and trudged into the nursery, ears pricked as Hazeltail started on a new subject: "Now tell me, who is the father…"

Lilypaw's ears swiveled toward another conversation between two warriors. Eavesdropping had become a bad habit of hers ever since she listened in on a discussion just after Amberpaw, Snowpaw, and Dewpaw were born.

"Cinderheart, what did you have to tell me?" Lionblaze questioned, his handsome golden fur swishing around as he walked up to his mate.

_Ooh, this looks interesting, _Lilypaw thought, and she settled next to the fresh-kill pile, offering to share a sparrow with Amberpaw. When she declined, Lilypaw jumped back into the serious chat.

Her older sister was smiling secretly, and Cinderheart's fluffy gray tail descended on Lionblaze's shoulders to calm him. "I'm expecting kits," she whispered joyfully.

Lilypaw felt a jolt of happiness for her sibling. This was great! _But I can't act like I heard until it fully spreads around the Clan, _she added to herself glumly. That was the hard thing about eavesdropping- you couldn't tell anyone about what you heard else until quite a few cats already knew.

Lionblaze smiled shakily. "That's… that's wonderful, Cinderheart," he said with a lukewarm purr.

Instantly Cinderheart's face fell. "Is something wrong?" she asked, removing her tail from her mate's broad frame.

The golden tabby glanced at the ground, then looked back up again. "It's nothing," he responded. "You know… just first-time father jitters," Lionblaze contributed with a forced smile.

"Oh, oh," Cinderheart murmured soothingly, stepping closer to him. "This is always what I wanted…" she hesitated, then continued. "… and always what Cinderpelt wanted too."

Lilypaw remembered the surprise she felt when Sorreltail told her that Cinderheart had been the recreation of Cinderpelt. Cinderpelt, a medicine cat with a lame foot, was killed at Cinderheart's birth, and right away cats noticed the striking resemblance between the two cats. Cinderpelt's spirit had lived inside Cinderheart until Cinderheart admitted her true feelings, and that she wanted to be a warrior and have a mate and kits, just as Cinderpelt had wanted until her injury kept her permanently crippled for life.

The dark tabby stopped listening when she realized that a chunk of sparrow she had been sucking on while thinking was now dry and had the taste of her own mouth. Lilypaw swallowed it in a hurry and took another juicy bite from her fresh-kill.

The sky darkened quickly, much to Lilypaw and her Clanmates' dismay. A chilly breeze weaved through the air every once in a while, and ThunderClan was forced to shelter inside their dens. Squirrelflight organized night patrols in the warriors' den- the assigned cats ran out and checked borders as fast as they could. Hunting patrols from earlier bounded into the den quickly, shivering and fur cold. Mates or friends would groom them and warm them. No cat went on patrol twice that evening.

At one point, the deputy stuck her head inside the den and called, "Any apprentices want to check the ShadowClan border?"

Lilypaw and Seedpaw were trembling from the freezing air, and they hastily shook their heads no. _At least we have our day off as an excuse, _she thought with relief.

However, poor Snowpaw was lumbering out of the den to go on patrol, as he was told to sharply by his mentor, Foxleap. "He's always nice around his kits," the white tom muttered angrily as he left.

Lilypaw forgot most of the rest of the night. Outside of the apprentices' den, she heard some faint murmurings, with paws pounding on the earth as patrols returned and as they departed. At some point, just when the sky had streaks of light in it, Lilypaw noticed some cats sneaking out to steal dead prey for the kits, queens, and elder from the fresh-kill pile.

She licked her lips and watched Cloudtail drag a half-frozen squirrel away, his teeth cracking through the thin layer of ice over the cold body. It was from last night, but to Lilypaw it would easily top off her quick meal of a sparrow.

Then, pawsteps crunching on the slowly thawing sheet of ice over the ground sounded near Lilypaw's den.

Lilypaw's eyes perked up to the noise as it got closer. Finally she could see gray tabby paws and white and ginger paws. _Oh, no! Millie and Brightheart! They're late…_

"Seedpaw, Seedpaw!" Furiously Lilypaw prodded her sister awake.

"Mmph, what is it?" Seedpaw groaned and rolled onto her back, belly rising and falling softly with each breath she took.

Lilypaw felt the panic level inside her rising. _What if it's me? Oh, it can't be me! _"Brightheart and Millie are here. We have to be prepared."

In a heartbeat Seedpaw was up and grooming herself, Lilypaw doing the same.

Millie and Brightheart were getting closer by the instant. Soon enough Brightheart poked her head inside the entrance. "Lilypaw, Seedpaw, just who we wanted to see," the scarred warrior said with a slight purr, nodding a brief greeting to Dewpaw, who was the only cat that remained of his siblings, the rest of whom were outside.

Lilypaw and Seedpaw shuffled closer to each other, Seedpaw biting her lip and Lilypaw feeling sick to her stomach.

"Come on out," Millie said, stepping aside to let them pass. Once the four were out of the den, the mentors led their apprentices over to the side of the clearing. Lilypaw shivered in the nippy cold as it scampered through her fur continuously.

Brightheart and Millie explained very nicely and carefully that they would first say the name of the sister that was doing alright. _So I should be mentioned first, _Lilypaw confirmed to herself.

Millie took a deep breath, and then announced, "Lilypaw."

_What? _By instinct, at first Lilypaw thought she was the failing apprentice. Then she remembered: _Millie told us that the name said first belongs to the winning cat._ Holding back a smile in spite of herself, Lilypaw backed into her den.

She turned to Amberpaw, who was alone in her and her brothers' corner of the den, licking down a patch of spiky fur on her chest. "Amberpaw," Lilypaw whispered, deciding that the gray-and-white she-cat could be her closest friend at the moment.

"Oh, hi, Lilypaw," Amberpaw mewed, glancing up from her strong breast. "What's up?"

Lilypaw bounced over and smiled into Brightheart's daughter's amber eyes. "I'm not failing in my training!" she exclaimed, tail lashing excitedly. All of a sudden, Lilypaw's whole body sagged, and in respect for her sister she bowed her head and stared at her paws sullenly for a couple heartbeats. "But Seedpaw is dropping low. I guess I'll have to cheer her up."

It appeared Amberpaw only cared about the first piece of news. "That's awesome!" she cried once Lilypaw was finished speaking.

The dark tabby apprentice was shrugging just as Seedpaw entered the den, sulking at the ground.

"Seedpaw?" Lilypaw shuffled forward, Amberpaw by her side.

"_What_?" Seedpaw snapped, neck jerking up to reveal an enraged gaze. "Don't even talk to me. I'm being held back in my training for a moon. A _moon_, Lilypaw! While you become a proud warrior- how about with the name Lilyperfect- I stay as a stupid apprentice with the younger cats!"

Lilypaw staggered, taken aback by her littermate's words. Amberpaw stumbled back to her nest, feelings hurt.

Those were the last words for the entire morning.

**OoOoO**

"All apprentices come to be assigned to a patrol with a mentor!" Squirrelflight's yowl echoed around the camp, and right away mentors, apprentices, and warriors slowly removing a newly fallen tree piece by piece rushed over to the deputy.

Lilypaw walked confidently next to Millie, watching the pouting Seedpaw stomp behind Brightheart.

Soon Lilypaw, Brightheart, Thornclaw, and Leafpool were walking out in the forest, eyes peeled for any prey as well as the WindClan border, which they were checking.

"Sh!" Thornclaw silenced Brightheart and Leafpool, who were chatting, and he froze, ears pointing straight toward the tree tops. "A stray rabbit from WindClan territory," he muttered. The golden brown warrior inched to the left, green eyes quietly wild as he listened.

The three she-cats stood and waited, the air deadened without their voices added to it. Nostrils flared, Thornclaw disappeared into the bushes, brush shaking behind him. As a holly leaf fluttered to the ground, Lilypaw heard a shrill cry that was cut off abruptly. Thornclaw had killed the rabbit before a bird could sound its alarm to the rest of the forest.

"Two in one!" Thornclaw haughtily announced, returning to the small clearing they had stopped in. Leafpool and Lilypaw attentively dipped their heads to the older warrior, and Brightheart congratulated her brother with a smile. "Hazeltail and Icecloud will appreciate those!" she purred, taking the larger rabbit for Icecloud.

The four cats walked along a bit more. Just when hints of WindClan scent hit Lilypaw's nose, Leafpool asked if they could split up. "I'd like to take Lilypaw and hunt with her privately, if you don't mind," she requested to Brightheart, who allowed her with a nod.

Once Thornclaw and Brightheart had vanished into the undergrowth, Leafpool spun and faced Lilypaw. Lilypaw knew that Leafpool was distant kin of hers, and worry shined in the tabby's eyes. _Can she feel my emotions? _Lilypaw wondered.

"What's on your mind?" Leafpool inquired, stepping a pace forward to lick Lilypaw's cheek. "Please tell me… you can trust I won't tell anyone else, not even Squirrelflight, and I'm very close to her…"

"Well," Lilypaw cut in, staring at her paws instead of deep into the former medicine cat's amber eyes. Lilypaw knew that Leafpool had broken the warrior code once by falling in love with a WindClan tom, Crowfeather, and having his kits, who happened to be Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and the late Hollyleaf. At this moment Lilypaw felt hauntingly close to the WindClan border. Leafpool's fur was bristling too, as if she feared a patrol consisting of Crowfeather and his mangy son with Nightcloud, Breezepelt, would come.

Still not completely trusting of Leafpool, Lilypaw told her the whole story: Seedpaw's behavior toward her, and then Seedpaw having to stay as an apprentice for an extra moon.

"I feel terrible," Lilypaw admitted in conclusion. "Now I'm sure that Seedpaw hates me even more than she did before."

Leafpool sighed softly and Lilypaw let the tabby's long tail trail along her flank. "I ask of you, don't worry. When Squirrelflight and I were apprentices, we had minor skirmishes like this all the time."

Lilypaw furrowed her barely visible eyebrows. "But, Leafpool! This isn't _minor_. This is _major_. She despises my guts, my every move, I tell you! What can I do?"

The tabby hesitated, clearly thinking hard as her pupils rolled to the treetops. "You must talk to her," Leafpool settled on that answer, refocusing her gaze to meet Lilypaw's delicate face. "Don't let your thoughts overtake the truth."

"Fine. I'll try to speak to her. But I've tried before, and we're either interrupted, or Seedpaw doesn't listen. How about just checking the border and forgetting we ever had this conversation?"

Lilypaw's outburst intensely silenced Leafpool during their trot to the border. For the rest of their partnership alone, Lilypaw and Leafpool did not meow a thing to each other.

**OoOoO**

"Catch anything?" Brightheart's calm and content mew lurched Lilypaw out of her dark thoughts.

Leafpool quietly answered, "No."

Thornclaw shrugged. "If that's what you're cross about, you'll live."

"Let's head back to camp," Brightheart, the patrol leader, decided thoughtfully, flicking her tail at the daydreaming Lilypaw. "It's alright. Thornclaw and I caught a squirrel each, so Graystripe will have something too."

When they arrived back at camp, they found Bramblestar arranging the group of cats to go to the Gathering early.

"Millie, Lilypaw… Foxleap and Snowpaw… Spiderleg, Birchfall, Whitewing… Ivypool, Dovewing, Bumblestripe… and Blossomfall. Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, Briarlight too of course."

Lilypaw smiled at hearing her name. She couldn't wait to go to her first Gathering! It almost made her forget all about the issue with Seedpaw.

_Speaking of Seedpaw… _Lilypaw thought, glancing around. Millie had told her she could eat anytime now that the sky was darkening, and the queens, kits, and elder had eaten from the days' catches. However, Lilypaw decided to wait and finish off more important matters first.

The dark tabby stuck her head inside the apprentices' den, craning her neck to see in the dim light. "Seedpaw?" she asked uncertainly, padding in more.

Lilypaw could make out an aphotic, shaded figure sitting on its haunches and sobbing silently, body shuddering. Its pointed ears and the whiskers growing out the sides of its face indicated that the form was indeed a cat.

"Seedpaw, it's Lilypaw. Please speak to me," Lilypaw insisted, advancing nearer to the cat, who she confirmed to be her sister because of the familiar scent that bathed her tongue.

But Seedpaw didn't respond, not even from a prod. "Seedpaw, are you alright? Seedpaw, talk to me! Please!" Lilypaw cried in alarm, shoves getting harder and voice rising with each word.

Suddenly, another blackish, caliginous silhouette appeared beside Seedpaw. It ambulated toward Lilypaw, and as it approached closer to her, she noticed stars shimmering in its fur- this was a cat too.

"Lilypaw." A voice spoke, and the starry cat paced to face her. Lilypaw saw it was a spirit from StarClan. The cat's smell was very recognizable, but Lilypaw didn't recall seeing this cat before. Only one description she had been told of before matched this she-cat's- it was Honeyfern!

"Lilypaw, you need to leave Seedpaw alone right now," Honeyfern rambled on, voice soft and soothing like honey going down a warrior's sore throat.

For some reason, Lilypaw didn't even bother to protest- she didn't feel like objecting. In fact, she was starting to feel quite sleepy.

Honeyfern padded at her, and Lilypaw realized lazily that she was backing into her nest. Her older sister lashed her tail, and that forced Lilypaw to plop down in her nest. Honeyfern stared at her, and Lilypaw's eyelids became heavy and started to droop very low.

"You will sleep. Leafpool's advice will not work at this time- you can talk to Seedpaw later. Sweet dreams, Lilypaw," Honeyfern finished before blackness surrounded Lilypaw and the creamy tabby returned to StarClan.

**OoOoO**

Lilypaw and Millie bounded, side by side, out of camp, sandwiched between Snowpaw and Spiderleg.

"I see you took a pre-Gathering nap," Millie remarked at the dark tabby's yawns, simpering slightly as she and her apprentice trotted onward. Snowpaw snorted next to Lilypaw, and Spiderleg simply stared straight ahead at the back of Birchfall's tabby-striped head.

Lilypaw shrugged, stealing a gasp of crisp, fresh air from the mountains to power her aching muscles. She wasn't about to tell her Clanmates how Honeyfern put her to sleep. It was strange- according to stories told to her and Seedpaw by Cinderheart and Poppyfrost, Honeyfern was a nice, sweet, lovely cat, but the way that her older sister had lured Lilypaw into the dream world was strange and ominous- exactly the opposite of the tales.

_Perhaps she is angry deep down inside and wants revenge for her death? _Honeyfern died almost instantly when she was bitten by a snake a while ago before Lilypaw and Seedpaw were born. Honeyfern was protecting Briarkit, now Briarlight, who later got injured anyway. The creamy tabby and Berrynose were in love, and soon after she died, Berrynose took another mate, Honeyfern's sister Poppyfrost, and they had kits: Molefoot and Cherrystem. Lilypaw was told that Honeyfern and Berrynose were planning to have kits around the time of her death.

Lilypaw pushed it away when Millie murmured in her ear, "There it is."

The dark tabby glanced up and felt excitement pulse in her paws and the blood roar in her ears. How truly awesome the Gathering Island was! Trees dotted the distant lone chunk of land near the banks of the lake, but one great tree was the most distinctive part of the Island.

"It's amazing," she breathed in reply to her mentor.

Millie nodded. "I've been here before, but it looks especially interesting at this time of night. We're here a little bit earlier than usual."

The ThunderClan patrol reached the fallen tree bridge at practically the same time as the RiverClan patrol. Bramblestar padded over to the RiverClan deputy, Reedwhisker, who Lilypaw recognized from descriptions, and dipped his head to the young black tom. "How are you?"

"I am now RiverClan's leader, Reedstar," Reedstar meowed. "Mistystar is dead. She was my mother."

"Your first Gathering as leader, I see," the dark brown tabby said, ducking his head respectfully. "ThunderClan grieves for the loss of Mistystar."

Reedstar sighed. "She will indeed be missed." Then his head bobbed up and down, allowing Bramblestar and ThunderClan to pass first.

As Lilypaw balanced by the RiverClan cats, she saw faces staring at the ground, mourning for their fallen leader. Lilypaw hardly knew Mistystar- the gray she-cat must have had a terrible disease that made her lose the rest of her many lives. The dark tabby knew that Mistystar still was a newer leader.

Then Lilypaw looked down at the slippery surface her paws were sliding cautiously on. The long-dead tree had killed Mudclaw, the former WindClan deputy such a long time ago. It showed that the current WindClan leader, Onestar, then Onewhisker, was meant to be the true leader of that Clan.

_But enough with the history, _Lilypaw thought, grabbing onto Millie's tail for support after she swiftly accepted the she-cat's offer of help. _Now more of the present._

ThunderClan and RiverClan, molded into one large group, entered the Gathering area. ShadowClan was already there, and WindClan was yet to come.

The three Clans settled and chatted in groups of cats from three different Clans, two separate Clans, or just one Clan.

Lilypaw found herself bustled into a group with Snowpaw. She and him were nose-to-nose with Redpaw from ShadowClan and Streampaw from RiverClan.

"Hi," Redpaw greeted them stiffly, his black-patched pelt gleaming in the faint light of the full moon.

Streampaw stared at her white paws, shuffling them in the marshy grass. "Hello," she said, voice barely a whisper.

Lilypaw dipped her head and Snowpaw waved his tail. "Any news in your Clans?" Lilypaw tried, looking from Redpaw to Streampaw.

Redpaw proudly yet hastily explained how he and his mentor Owlclaw chased a fox out of Clan territory last sunrise, his chest puffed out far. "It was mostly me that made it flee, though," he concluded with a toothy grin.

The RiverClan she-cat had nothing much to say. "Just a new kit," Streampaw muttered.

_Oh, how exciting you are, _Lilypaw thought flatly, exchanging a bored glance with Snowpaw.

She and Snowpaw turned away from the rival Clan cats, watching WindClan creep warily into the Gathering area. Their deputy, Ashfoot, was at the lead. _Where's Onestar? _Lilypaw wondered. _What a first Gathering for Snowpaw and I!_

The gray WindClan queen leaped up onto the Great Tree, the branch she chose shaking under her weight.

Bramblestar cleared his throat, the noise filling the silent, dry air. "Well," the dark brown tabby started, "It looks like everyone is here. Let's begin. Ashfoot?" he offered, stepping back on the thick limb.

Ashfoot descended forward, blue gaze raking the Clans. "Onestar is ill," she announced glumly, and Lilypaw noticed that dark rings had settled beneath the she-cat's eyes. _Is Onestar on his last life? _

"So, I am here to take his place, as he is too sick to attend this Gathering, but he should be able to come next time…" Ashfoot trailed off, her gaze looking beyond the cats gathered below her. "Anyway," Ashfoot continued, seeming to be rejuvenated by a prod from Rowanstar. "Moorpaw has switched from his warrior training under the mentorship of Harespring to be a medicine cat, under the mentorship of Kestrelflight."

Lilypaw contemplated a small, young pale brown tom rise beside Kestrelflight, WindClan's medicine cat. Harespring rose too, ducking his head in respect. "WindClan wishes luck to their future medicine cat." Ashfoot finished, sitting back down on her haunches, trembling in the chill breeze.

Bramblestar still ensconced as he spoke. "ThunderClan is pleased to announce three new apprentices: Amberpaw, Snowpaw, and Dewpaw under the mentorships of Berrynose, Foxleap, and Toadstep, respectively." Snowpaw and Foxleap stood up, and then hunkered down again. "Also, two new litters of kits are on the way, and ThunderClan is thriving," Bramblestar concluded.

Silence engulfed the atmosphere again until Rowanstar of ShadowClan alleged. "Our two respected, helpful, and brave warriors Applefur and Toadfoot have retired to the elders. Please wish them many more moons of restful life." Some cats were still chanting Amberpaw, Snowpaw, and Dewpaw's names quietly, but quickly the area was clogged with Applefur and Toadfoot's names.

Rowanstar also revealed two new warriors, the death of Littlecloud, and their brand-new medicine cat, Mistcloud, who was named after him.

Reedstar from RiverClan began his long line of announcements. "Mistystar lost her last few lives from a severe case of greencough just after the previous Gathering," Reedstar told them. "I am now Reedstar, leader of RiverClan. My deputy is Graymist." The cats yowled Reedstar and Graymist's names to the dark sky.

"Troutstream and Mintfur have one precious new kit, Beetlekit, named after our fallen warrior Beetlewhisker." With that, Reedstar summed up the Gathering.

The cats commenced to mingle together and chat, catching up on personal news the leaders didn't bother to announce. Lilypaw followed Snowpaw around and wondered how Seedpaw was getting along back in camp.

* * *

**What do you think? Do you like Lilypaw's POV? Who do you think will have the POV in the next chapter?**


	3. The Rebellion

**Sorry for the late reply to your review, lavi0123, but you might be correct. Judging by the character names I posted, though, you are most likely right. Thanks for the feedback!**

* * *

All Seedpaw saw around her sister anymore was red.

_Oh, how I hate her, _Seedpaw thought of Lilypaw as she watched the dark tabby and Millie march out of camp.

"Seedpaw, over here!" called a voice. Seedpaw whipped around, fur bristling. It was Brightheart, motioning with her ginger-striped tail for Seedpaw to help clear the fallen tree.

Seedpaw trudged over, glaring at her dusty paws. _Why couldn't I have been killed by this stupid tree, and not Firestar? Then my life would've been a whole lot easier in StarClan. _

Any warrior that wasn't chosen to attend the Gathering was helping remove dead, brittle branches and stalks of bracken that had collapsed along with the lightning-struck tree.

Hazeltail, Icecloud, and Cinderheart took turns gently singing the two kits to sleep. However, Smokykit kept opening one eye and letting out the shrill wail of, "Where's Foxleap?" He'd wake up his brother, and the process would start all over again.

Seedpaw squeezed in between Dewpaw and Rosepetal, heaving a loud, obnoxious sigh. She pricked her ears, taking in her surroundings and desperately trying to listen for sounds from the Gathering. But it was no use- the Island was way too far away.

Night had already closed in on the cats of ThunderClan. Seedpaw was tickled to see Lionblaze, the camp guard, attempting not to fall asleep.

Seedpaw dragged one last moistened limb over to a pile the cats had formed on the side of the clearing. The branch she added to the heap had a smoky black strike on it; Seedpaw figured it had been in the lightning bolt's target area.

"You can sleep if you'd like," Brightheart told her. "Wake up to hear the Gathering news. Or, feel free to eat before you go to your nest."

The ginger she-cat decided to have a quick snack ahead of her nap. Seedpaw clomped over to the fresh-kill pile and stared at her choices. Eventually Seedpaw picked out a skimpy mouse. _It's good enough, _she thought.

_Crunch. Chew. Munch. _Seedpaw enjoyed the whole thing, and when she swallowed the final leg bone, Seedpaw rose and stomped over to the apprentices' den.

**OoOoO**

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath me to hear the Gathering news!" Bramblestar's yowl rang in Seedpaw's ears, and she jumped up, meeting wild gazes with Amberpaw and Dewpaw for a heartbeat. Then they darted out of their den, Seedpaw feeling excited for the first time in a while.

The Gathering cats had settled in the first row, and Seedpaw secretly glowered at Lilypaw behind her littermate's back.

"First," Bramblestar interrupted any extra conversations, and his tail whisked back and forth, waiting for the excess talking to stop. Then he said, "ShadowClan's news: Two new elders, Applefur and Toadfoot. One death: Littlecloud. Two new warriors, new medicine cat Mistcloud.

"WindClan: Ashfoot had to speak for Onestar, as he is under the weather. Kestrelflight's new apprentice is Moorpaw. Finally, RiverClan- Mistystar is dead." Seedpaw could hear quiet sobs from cats that knew Mistystar well.

"Reedstar is the new leader of RiverClan. His deputy is Graymist, and RiverClan has one new kit, Beetlekit, the son of Troutstream and Mintfur."

Seedpaw shrugged. _That's it? Wow, I guess I didn't miss much after all. _She rushed back to the apprentices' den, determined not to be caught by Lilypaw.

But her sister was ahead of her plan wise.

"Seedpaw! Hey, Seedpaw!"

Seedpaw gritted her teeth and moved faster, racing to the den. She skidded into it and slammed her body down on her nest, sending it flying across the den. Seedpaw clenched her teeth harder and stole Lilypaw's nest. She evened her breathing and pretended to have fallen asleep.

"I know you're awake." Lilypaw's voice said with a hint of a purr. "If you don't listen to me, that's fine. But if you do, here's what I have to say."

Seedpaw's ears perked up, but she made sure it wasn't too noticeable. _Fine, I'll listen, Lilyperfect._

Lilypaw commenced to talk, but it was drowned out by the sound of another cat speaking. "Don't listen to herrrr… you mustn't listen to herrrrrr…"

The pale ginger apprentice screwed up her face, frustrated. _Who are you? You sound familiar… hey, the same cat from when you told me to ignore Lilypaw's prodding and poking the other time…_

_Yes, it is me. I am Honeyfern, your deceased older sister. Do you know me?_

Seedpaw smiled as she silently replied over Lilypaw's muffled meowing. _Yes. Poppyfrost and Cinderheart told me and Lilypaw a lot about you and Molepaw when we were kits._

A faint figure appeared before Seedpaw, shimmering with shiny little stars. _Ah, but you must listen to only _me_ now, Seedpaw. When Lilypaw wants to "talk to you", ignore her. Create a swift excuse, or do anything to get away from her._

_Er… okay, _Seedpaw replied, though one question of hers needed to be answered first: _Why can't I speak to her?_

However, Honeyfern had disappeared. Seedpaw sat up, searching madly for her starry companion, but the mysterious she-cat was gone.

"Seedpaw? Are you listening to me?" Lilypaw questioned as a sharp paw rammed into Seedpaw's flank.

"Ouch. No… I mean, yes," Seedpaw winced and shuffled farther away from her sibling. "I was. Just leave me alone right now, alright?"

Lilypaw's shoulders fluttered up then down again, and she sighed. "Fine. But one thing before I leave you: can I have my nest back, please?"

Seedpaw couldn't help but grin a tiny smidge as she heaved herself out of Lilypaw's nest and nosed it to her sister. "Sorry. Good night."

"'Night!" Lilypaw responded while Seedpaw retrieved her nest and dragged the moss and ferns back over to her and Lilypaw's side of the den.

Soon, soft, average breathing could be heard from Lilypaw's nest. Seedpaw, though, couldn't sleep. She tried closing her eyes and not opening them for anything, not even a yawn from the night watch, Brackenfur. Seedpaw relaxed all of her tensed muscles completely. _I have to sleep tonight, or I'll be a wreck tomorrow. _

Eventually sleep overtook Seedpaw's active mind.

**OoOoO**

"Seedpaw, up! You're on the dawn patrol today- you know you have to work extra hard. Get up," Brightheart whispered in her apprentice's ear the next morning.

Holding back a groan, Seedpaw got up and clumped over to where three other cats were gathered- Sorreltail, Cloudtail, and, of course, Brightheart.

"Let's go!" Sorreltail, the patrol leader, cheerily mewed just before trotting out of camp like a gleeful kit. Seedpaw was disgusted. _This cat is my mother? _

Cloudtail rolled his eyes and shared a disturbed glance with Seedpaw. "Okay…" he muttered, shaking his head. Seedpaw could just picture what he was thinking in his fluffy white head: _She-cats, she-cats, she-cats!_

Brightheart was ahead of them, bounding joyfully beside Sorreltail. "And she's my mate," Cloudtail sighed, indicating Brightheart, his round blue gaze unimpressed.

Seedpaw shrugged and thought back. When she and Lilypaw had first become apprentices, Brightheart was still in the nursery with her kits, Amberkit, Snowkit, and Dewkit. Lilypaw always had Millie as a mentor, but Seedpaw's original trainer was Hazeltail until Hazeltail moved into the nursery. Brightheart took over her training once her kits were 'paws.

The patrol moved onward, and Seedpaw caught her second bird ever- a blue jay. _And I'm the failing one? _She thought that with a quick, safely hidden grin- Seedpaw remembered Lilypaw telling her that on one hunting patrol she was on, she hadn't caught anything.

Before long, Cloudtail was the only cat without something captured. His lips twisted in frustration, the long-furred white tom stalked around the bushes, soft pink nose twitching as it took in small sniffs of prey-scented air. "Aha!" he exclaimed, and Cloudtail disappeared into the brush.

**OoOoO**

In his mouth, Cloudtail proudly displayed a nice and fat vole as Seedpaw's patrol reentered the camp.

"Wonderful catch!" purred Cinderheart with a smile. The queen shuffled up and gently asked if she could have his vole. "Larchkit and Smokykit are hungry too, and Hazeltail says they can try their first solids today!" Cinderheart continued with a wink. "How would you like to volunteer your vole for this special job?"

Cloudtail laughed a deep laugh. "You'll be a great mother. I suspect you're genuinely excited," he replied, dropping the vole off to her.

"'Sure am!" Cinderheart answered before turning back around, and Seedpaw observed that her belly was slowly swelling with Lionblaze's kits.

Brightheart and Cloudtail padded off to a rare sunny spot in the clearing and groomed themselves. Sorreltail lapped at Seedpaw's ears for a few heartbeats before ambling off to the nursery to help.

Seedpaw screwed up her face intentionally. Before leaving, Brightheart had ordered for her to fetch fresh moss for the lone elder, Graystripe.

Flinching at the thought of carrying an old tom's used moss, she footslogged over to the honeysuckle bush that made the elders' den.

"Hello, Graystripe?" Seedpaw asked, poking her head inside the highly-scented flower bush.

"Ah, an apprentice to bring me new bedding? Wonderful. Come, sit down, I might as well tell you a short story while you're here."

Without looking at the gray tom, Seedpaw settled down and waited for Graystripe to stand up. She snatched the moss from under him and threw it at the exit, disgusted at the rank, musky smell that wafted around it.

"What… is this…? Seedkit? Oh, you… silly kit. Back to the nursery you go," Graystripe said quite sharply, gently prodding Seedpaw away. "Go tell your sister to come to me, will you?"

Seedpaw's stomach did a back-flip. "I'm an apprentice, Graystripe," she snapped, scowling into his yellow eyes. "My name is Seed_paw_." It was hard for her to contain her anger, but she knew she had to show respect for the elder.

_If 'sister' means Lilypaw, I will kill him, _steamed Seedpaw to herself. She knew he could mean Poppyfrost or even needy Cinderheart, but she and Lilypaw were more often known as the two close sisters, same for Poppyfrost and Cinderheart as a pair. They weren't from the same litter, after all.

Seedpaw continued to think as Graystripe pursued to hesitate, sinking in what she said. _Also, he needs to keep up with the Clan activity. Does he think we just arrived here from the Great Journey? Does he think my father was just born? Who does he think our leader is, Thunder?_

"Sorry," Graystripe mused, cutting into Seedpaw's frustrated thoughts. "Please forgive me. There's a rumor I heard from Amberpaw that you moved back down to the nursery. She changed my moss a few sunrises ago."

Seedpaw bristled. "_What_?" she hissed, exasperated. _That stupid mouse-brain's mad at me because I "yelled" at her and Lilypaw the other time. I have a new victim to murder…_

"Well, it's not true," Seedpaw explained stiffly, turning to leave. "You know what, forget the story. I'm leaving."

As she padded out, Seedpaw swore she heard Graystripe say, "Welcome back to being an apprentice again!"

Seedpaw stormed through the thorn tunnel, which still wasn't completely revived after the Dark Forest attack barely three seasons ago. She could hardly believe that dumb old cat actually trusted Amberpaw's fake, flea-brained statement that Seedpaw was a kit again. _I'll get her back, I will. I bet she's one of Lilypaw's friends._

The ginger apprentice reached the Ancient Oak in record time. She gathered moss and stuck a pointy thorn in it. Seedpaw confirmed that the thorn was embedded in the moss. _That's my revenge to Graystripe. _

Seedpaw walked back to the camp as slowly as she could, wanting Graystripe to be uncomfortable as long as possible.

She hated Lilypaw. She hated Graystripe. She hated Amberpaw. She hated Brightheart. _Is there anybody to like these days?_

Seedpaw arrived back at camp sooner than she wanted to. She dropped the moss off at Graystripe's den, and then shuffled off to her own den to what she knew would be an unsettled sleep.

_"Seedpaw. Seedpaw, it is me, Honeyfern," the creamy tabby said once Seedpaw dozed off._

_ "Hi, Honeyfern!" Seedpaw greeted the StarClan cat excitedly, stepping up and touching noses with the young warrior._

_ Honeyfern dipped her head. "I will be your second mentor. Your mentor at night," she explained._

_ Seedpaw cocked her head. "My mentor? Will you teach me battle and hunting moves?"_

_ The brown she-cat shook her head. "I'll lecture you about life," she replied with a flick of her tail._

_ "What?" Seedpaw was unimpressed. "Life? What part of life?" she inquired, soul dropping inside instantly._

_ But Honeyfern disappeared. Seedpaw figured she'd have her first lesson on "life" tomorrow, but she always wondered why dead cats never answered questions right away._

**OoOoO**

"It's snowing!" the shrill cry awoke Seedpaw from her abruptly-ending dream. She jerked up and shuffled to the den exit. Dewpaw stood next to her, and his amber eyes widened happily.

The owner of the voice, young and new warrior Cherrystem, pranced and rolled around happily. Her brother Molefoot joined her right away.

A thick coating of white covered the clearing and still was falling to the earth. Seedpaw and Dewpaw stepped out into the snow, and she felt a chill run up her legs and down her spine. _So… c-c-cold… _

Teeth chattering, the cats of ThunderClan padded out into the frozen water. Senior warriors' eyes shined with memories as they watched the kits romp and play in the snow.

"I'm named after it!" called Snowpaw as he, Lilypaw, and Amberpaw scampered around Cherrystem and Molefoot.

Seedpaw couldn't hold back a chuckle. Snowpaw's fur completely blended in with the snow except for some dusty smudges and his amber gaze. The late mid-day sun cast a bright glow on all white things as Snowpaw snuck up on Larchkit and Smokykit. "Hey!" the two little toms exclaimed, and before long Snowpaw was covered in a swarm of kits and Hazeltail trying to pull her sons off the apprentice.

All cats with white pelts, like Cloudtail, Whitewing, and even Icecloud, tromped around in the snow. Icecloud looked like a living glacier as she moved around.

Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, along with a few other warriors, dug out important things such as the fresh-kill pile. One hunting patrol was sent out, and they only came back with a dim-witted squirrel that had attempted to look for nuts and acorns under the snow.

For once, Seedpaw took her mind off other things, and she capered around with Lilypaw and Amberpaw in the snow, screwing around and continuously surprising Cinderheart as she rested on the snow-dusted smooth boulders. The gray queen didn't seem to mind, although Lionblaze always gave the apprentices the evil eye when they bothered the expecting queens. It was as if he was the father of both future litters.

At one point, Seedpaw tripped Amberpaw for fun, but the gray she-cat's face rose back up out of the snow with a nose covered in blood. "Thanks a lot," the hot-headed she-cat muttered as she barged to the medicine den, Briarlight taking her in blandly. Lilypaw shot a glance at her sister and followed Amberpaw.

Seedpaw sat down on the ground hard and licked her numb paws thoughtfully. _Is my personality being bad? Is that my talent? _She froze and wondered. Was it?

Shrugging, she got up and picked her way through the snow, past Spiderleg and Graystripe chatting, past Birchfall and Whitewing pouncing around in the snow with their daughters. _Everyone is in pairs or groups lately, and I'm the loner. Maybe I should leave the Clan? They obviously don't need me- I'm a useless piece of crumbled dirt._

The ginger apprentice cast a longing look at the medicine den. Amberpaw's little "trip" had been Seedpaw's revenge on the gray she-cat, but of course Amberpaw had to overreact and make it seem as if she was going to die. _Just a stupid bloody nose. And I'll be hearing about it for a long time, _Seedpaw realized to herself. _Lilypaw's her best friend forever, and Brightheart is her mother. Ugh…_

Seedpaw recognized that her paws were yearning to walk right out of the camp forever, but what would her mother think? _Hey, perhaps I could talk to Sorreltail. Even Brackenfur, Cinderheart, Poppyfrost… _Seedpaw trailed off in her mind as more names and faces popped into her head. _Not everyone's against me yet._

She placed her paws in a new direction and trotted over to where her mother and Poppyfrost played. It was funny to see the two older tortoiseshells leaping all over the mashed-up snow like kits.

Seedpaw quickly allowed a paw in the snow, then out. In the snow, then out. She couldn't risk permanent blue pads- that would not be fun.

"Oh, you…" Sorreltail spat in a friendly way, fixing an obviously fake glower on Poppyfrost, who must have beaten her at one of their games.

"Hi!" Seedpaw called, and she moved swifter to her mother and sister. The pair stopped moving and turned to the apprentice.

A smile struck Sorreltail's face. "Seedpaw! How wonderful it is to see you!" As Seedpaw approached, her mother lapped at her ruffled fur. "Where's Lilypaw?" Sorreltail asked between licks. "I haven't seen her in a while, and I last saw her with you and Amberpaw."

Poppyfrost nodded and grinned, as if she were approving the sisters' bonding.

Seedpaw felt relief wash over her like a wave at the lake's shore. _Sorreltail missed Amberpaw's fall. Good. That'll help._

"Hm, I don't know," Seedpaw replied, staring innocently at her mother.

Sorreltail blinked. "I guess I just thought… you two would be closer by now," she murmured with a sigh. "Poppyfrost and Cinderheart have a very strong bond, especially since Molepaw and Honeyfern's deaths."

"Can I talk to you?" Seedpaw suddenly asked, not really caring about bonding with Lilypaw at the moment. _It's all about Lilypaw._

Sorreltail nodded, and they departed from Poppyfrost with a wave of their tails to be polite and not abrupt. "'Bye!" Poppyfrost meowed back.

"What is it, little seed?" Sorreltail questioned once she and Seedpaw were in a private area- behind the warriors' den. Only cats resting in the far back of the den could hear them, but almost every cat was out in the snow.

"I…" Seedpaw hesitated, and then continued after a boost inside. _She's your mother. She'll understand anything. _"I feel left out, like I don't belong here in the Clan."

Sorreltail blinked and stared at her daughter in surprise. "Really? You looked like you were having so much fun with the others…" she trailed off, thinking. "How can I include you more? I'd be happy to."

_Not exactly what I was aiming for. _Hastily Seedpaw shook her head. "I just do not seem to get along with other cats."

Her mother sighed. "You're doing fine with me right now. Can you name the cats that you can't agree with?"

Seedpaw was now frustrated. _Not. Helping. At. All! _She thought through gritted teeth. "Lilypaw, Amberpaw, Graystripe, Brightheart, and you! You're hopeless!" With that she stomped away.

The tortoiseshell stood in her daughter's tracks, legs wobbly, Seedpaw's words scarring deep wounds in her heart. Sadly Sorreltail ducked her head and turned away, dusty snowflakes and specks dropping onto her splotched pelt.

**OoOoO**

_That proves it. Sorreltail and Brackenfur spend so much time together, he'll be just like her! Poppyfrost and Cinderheart will be fretting over kits with their obnoxious mates, grown or unborn, _Seedpaw spat to herself. _I'm leaving. Wasn't there a tribe somewhere? _

Seedpaw ran up into non-Clan territory before gazing up at the towering mountains, outlined blue against the darkening sky. _I'm going up there, and no one can stop me!_

**OoOoO**

Back in camp a sunrise later, there was no sign of Seedpaw. A search party was sent out to look for the apprentice in all ThunderClan territory.

WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan territory were searched as well, much to the dismay of the rival Clan cats.

Patrols went as far up as non-Clan territory to find her, but it was too late. Seedpaw was already treading in the mountains.

**OoOoO**

Seedpaw roused with only one thing on her mind: her destination. She wanted to see that waterfall the cats that had visited the mountains described. She wanted to walk the same paths the warriors traveling on the Great Journey had taken. At some point, Seedpaw was pretty sure she glimpsed a faint paw print from long ago. _Or perhaps, _she wondered. _Perhaps it's a sign I'm close to the Tribe of Rushing Water?_

She trotted out of the forest she slept in, never feeling as light and happy as she did at the moment. Seedpaw was content and pleased to be away from her Clan. She knew for a fact that the tribe was much different from the Clans. _Maybe, just maybe, I'll like it better there!_

The forest she stopped at would be the last forest Seedpaw would lay her ornery eyes on for a good moon. And as Seedpaw trotted away, relieved to not be around any other cats, she had no idea of the future.

The ginger apprentice glanced up at the sky. It was pale blue, and clouds were streaked and smeared across the sky, predicting a clear day ahead. _Good._

Life seemed great at the time. Seedpaw wasn't aware of her fate. The Tribe of Rushing Water cats were nice cats, but they were having a battle of their own: cats were disappearing from the great cave, from kits to cave-guards to prey-hunters.

It wasn't good at all.

* * *

**So which sister do you like better, Lilypaw or Seedpaw? (Kinda like a Dovewing/Ivypool sibling relationship, huh?) Review, review, review!**


	4. The First Delivery

**lavi0123: Thanks for the second review! And you're right… Lilypaw and Seedpaw have a pretty rocky relationship. Well, in this chapter you'll get to see how things are in the eyes of an older sister, Cinderheart!**

* * *

Cinderheart stared at Hazeltail's tail as the queen exited the nursery. Cinderheart knew what that meant- she had to look after Larchkit and Smokykit. It was an assigned job that she and Hazeltail confirmed almost as soon as Cinderheart moved into the den. Icecloud was now too close to having her own kits to look after them. If she was left alone in the den with the kits and Jayfeather was out, what would happen? Briarlight only just became his apprentice, a bit after Hazeltail delivered. She didn't have much experience.

The gray she-cat watched the two little toms tumble and play, and Cinderheart smiled. Looking down at her rounded belly, her smile grew wider. She and Lionblaze finally were having kits! She thought she felt three inside her, as sometimes they kicked. In any of her free time when Larchkit and Smokykit weren't causing mischief, Cinderheart kicked back and thought of names. _For she-kits… how about Honeykit or Fernkit after Honeyfern and Ferncloud? As for toms… Pinekit, Sunkit… I like Lakekit too._

"Hey!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed, jerking Cinderheart out of her thoughts. Icecloud was glaring grumpily at Larchkit and Smokykit, who were pretending her ears were the great mountains.

"I'm so sorry!" Cinderheart cried, and she shuffled over and dragged Hazeltail's sons off of the queen. Icecloud was losing lots of patience as she came closer to giving birth. Cinderheart's fur pricked at the thought of the white queen going into labor now.

Just then, Cinderheart heard a sob outside. She poked her head out of the nursery, wrapping her tail around Larchkit and Smokykit firmly.

Sorreltail's body was convulsing and shuddering, and Brackenfur was holding back a fresh wave of sadness. Lilypaw and Poppyfrost stood next to them, moist-eyed themselves. Cinderheart felt a sharp pang of agitation. Seedpaw, who wandered off a few sunrises ago, still hadn't been found. Every day Sorreltail, who was Cinderheart's mother as well, sadly trudged around the camp with her mate, Brackenfur, comforting her with every stride.

The past hit Cinderheart hard, and she whipped around to look back into the nursery again. Besides the huge Icecloud resting in the corner of the den, not much had changed from when she remembered the nursery being when Cinderheart was a kit. She'd play with Poppykit, Molekit, and Honeykit excitedly, and each new day brought more fun. Sorreltail and Brackenfur were young, happy; there was no Lionblaze yet, no Power of Three prophecy. Yet still, for some reason, cats stared at her strangely. Later Cinderheart learned that the Clan's medicine cat, Cinderpelt, died during her birth in this very nursery during a badger attack, back when the Clans were still new to the lake.

Cinderpelt had a crippled leg which never healed; Cinderheart broke her leg, too, as an apprentice like Cinderpelt did. The bones in Cinderheart's leg mended back together.

She snapped back to current times when Larchkit tapped her paw with his tail. "Um, gray cat?" he quizzed, staring up at Cinderheart with round blue eyes.

Cinderheart's heart broke into pieces. He was so adorable! "Yes, Larchkit? And my name is Cinderheart."

Larchkit glanced at Smokykit, and the two brothers shrugged. Then Larchkit continued, "Whatever. Anyway, I was wondering who that fat piece of fox dung is over there." He motioned to Icecloud in the corner.

The gray queen gulped. Were kits really that disrespectful? _Maybe it's just a phase, or rude young toms. _Cinderheart blinked and answered, "She is called Icecloud. Icecloud is your father's sister, and soon she will have more playmates for you guys. So will I."

Smokykit growled. "What you just said didn't make any sense at all. That ugly white thing isn't related to Foxleap. That's just impossible. And how can she produce more cuties like us? We're awesome, plus we're satisfied with just having each other as 'playmates'."

"How dopey," Larchkit muttered.

_I thought they were cute, innocent little ones. How wrong I was. _"I can't believe you two would be like that towards a cat in a higher position than you. Your parents will hear about this!"

Instantly Smokykit and his littermate went into hiding, delving into Hazeltail's nest. _They are related to Berrynose, right? _

Desperately Cinderheart wanted to leave the nursery for a bit and stretch her legs. It was hot and stuffy in there, especially with Icecloud puffing warm air with each breath. Cinderheart couldn't even stand up straight without her back smacking the bramble wall. A rumbling started up in her throat, but she resisted allowing it to last. Surely Hazeltail wouldn't escape the horrors of her troublesome offspring for a purposely long time?

Finally Hazeltail returned, and Cinderheart woke up from her nap happily. "Hazeltail," she meowed, and the gray-and-white she-cat faced her. Cinderheart noticed the dark circles under the queen's eyes and suddenly felt even worse than before. The pain in her stomach was increasing. Were kits this much work?

"What?" Hazeltail snapped, not bothering to apologize for her snippy attitude. Cinderheart couldn't blame her. Larchkit and Smokykit were disasters that already happened. Would Cinderheart's unborn sons and daughters be disasters waiting to happen?

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but… I just wanted to say that Larchkit and Smokykit have been…" Cinderheart hesitated when she saw two little forms trembling behind Hazeltail's moss.

Hazeltail glared. "What are the menaces doing now?" She plopped down into her nest, making a blockade before her sons. Not seeing them shake made Cinderheart feel more confident.

"They'vebeentreatingmeandIcecloudlikedirt." With that Cinderheart raced out of the den, the excess weight she gained slowing her down a bit. Panting laboriously, she skidded across the clearing and threw herself down before the fresh-kill pile. She needed to eat.

Behind her, Cinderheart picked up the sound of paws trotting cheerfully against the earth. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes tightly. Hazeltail would definitely kill her now.

"Guess who!" a voice said teasingly, and a golden tail swept before Cinderheart's eyes, making her temporarily blind.

"Oh, Lionblaze!" Cinderheart chortled and glanced up at her handsome mate. She was so lucky to finally have him. He was her only true love, the only one she'd ever love.

He collapsed down beside her in a sticky heap. "I would suggest that you don't touch me," he mewed, and Cinderheart jerked her muzzle away from his.

"Why?"

"I just came back from a patrol, and I ran into a huge cobweb. Now if Jayfeather's looking for some cobwebs, he can just pick them off of me." Lionblaze ducked his head in mock shame, as a grin still sat on his face.

Cinderheart laughed a deep, hearty laugh and snatched a squirrel from the dangerously low pile of deceased prey. Then she froze. "Have the _beauties _and Graystripe eaten yet?" The warrior code's harsh rules loomed before her.

"I suppose so," Lionblaze answered. "Graystripe isn't complaining that he's hungry, and the kits aren't out trying to steal something. Anyway, you're an expecting queen. You need to get nutrition not just for you but for our kits as well." He purred as she dug in like a member of BloodClan. "Why did you call Larchkit and Smokykit the _beauties_?"

"They treat me like mouse bile, for one thing," Cinderheart started, talking between chews. "They called Icecloud a 'fat white thing', and there's more. Hazeltail doesn't seem to care. At all. I had to retreat from the nursery, Lionblaze. I'm freaking out."

Lionblaze frowned. "Wow. I've never known any kits that act like that. Do you want me to report to Bramblestar? All youngsters need to treat their older ones with respect." Cinderheart detected some sarcasm in his tone.

She shook her head no. "It's not worth it. We'd just be causing even more chaos." Cinderheart finished the rest of her squirrel and signed in contentment. "That was delicious."

"Is there anything I can do?" Lionblaze offered, finally sounding serious.

"I want to get out of camp for a bit. Want to take a walk with me?"

Cinderheart's mate paused. "What if you go into labor outside of camp?"

The gray warrior snorted. "I'm not that far along. Trust me; I'll get much bigger before that happens."

**OoOoO**

It was when Cinderheart awoke with the urge to make dirt in the middle of the night when she heard some rustling. The creator of the noise was nearby, in fact very close. Cinderheart peeled open one eye and spotted a bulky figure sneaking out of the den right in front of her. It was most definitely Icecloud, considering how light-colored the cat was. Cinderheart figured that she was just making dirt, and the gray queen followed her out to do the same.

But, thinking that no one was on her tail, Icecloud hung a left instead of heading straight to the dirtplace. Cinderheart really had to go, but she was wondering where Icecloud could possibly be traveling to at night, especially so close to having her kits. It wasn't Cinderheart's nature to eavesdrop, but this time she just had to. Curiosity got the better of her.

Cinderheart pursued after Icecloud, who had disappeared behind the nursery. She realized that Icecloud would see her if she went directly after the white she-cat, so Cinderheart reentered the nursery and listened from her nest.

"Hey, Icecloud!" a hauntingly familiar voice whispered in excitement.

Some paws crunching heavily on slushy snow drowned out Cinderheart's ears for a moment. Then she heard Icecloud reply, "Lionblaze, we can't do this anymore."

Cinderheart felt sick. What was Lionblaze doing with Icecloud?

Lionblaze was silent for a while before meowing, his voice gradually becoming quieter with each word, "What… do… you… mean?" His voice cracked.

Now Cinderheart was in a grouchy mood. Icecloud hadn't revealed the father of her kits. It was Lionblaze! How could he have performed a white lie right before Cinderheart's face?

Icecloud commenced to whisper her speech. "I'm pleased that you love me more than Cinderheart. I'm okay with you loving her as well as long as you like me more."

"Then what's wrong?" Lionblaze interrupted.

"The kits aren't… t- they aren't yours." Cinderheart imagined the scene as if she were there at Icecloud's bulged flank: the deep raven-black sky, the claw-moon drifting across the sky ever so slowly, casting its pitifully weak light down on the pair. The couple consisting of the liar and the mongrel. Lionblaze's face so shocked, so devastated, and Icecloud's expression exposing regret and guilt.

_I can't believe I ever loved him._

Cinderheart couldn't listen to any more. Her eyelids fluttered down to cover her deep blue eyes, and she entered a dreamless slumber.

**OoOoO**

She didn't arouse from her sleep until late that morning. Cinderheart yawned and slunk out of the nursery on cramping legs. She cringed in pain from the hurt all over her body, including the love section in her heart. After a few good stretches, Cinderheart strode over to the smooth boulders used for sunning in greenleaf. Now they were cold to the touch from sitting in the freezing evening. She settled down beside one and began to groom herself.

A cool breeze ruffled the ThunderClan cats' fur; dawn frost glittered on the frozen tree limbs, and it replaced the usual dew on grass blades. Each individual one shimmered, proving that indeed the night had created a layer of pure ice over the green.

Cinderheart shuddered. She believed that there was a blanket of ice over her. All of a sudden she sensed a presence behind her, and hot breath warmed her shoulder. _Lionblaze, _she uttered to herself after scenting the air. _Why should I bother?_

"Hey, Cinderheart!" he purred, his scent glands rubbing against her cheek. Cinderheart hopped up and trudged away from him. _Same exact greeting to Icecloud. Bet he started with 'Guess who!' to Icecloud as well. _"Where are you going, silly?" he chuckled and proceeded after her.

However, Cinderheart was searching for Icecloud. "Where is she?" she hissed to herself, scanning the camp clearing. Graystripe was climbing onto one of the sunning rocks, but left them with his teeth chattering. Squirrelflight stood tall and proud on the deputies' Half-rock, assigning several patrols. Cats gathered around her, exited, then returned frequently. Bramblestar sat beside his mate, lazily observing his camp, grateful for peace after the battle with the Dark Forest around eight moons ago. If only Cinderheart was in a cheery mood too.

The white queen was emerging from the nursery, and her blue eyes flitted around the clearing, probably looking for Lionblaze. Cinderheart scrambled over to her.

Icecloud spun around and grinned somewhat nervously at Cinderheart. "Oh, hi!" she said. "Is there something you want-" The white warrior was interrupted by Cinderheart dragging her to the thorn tunnel.

Unfortunately, Berrynose was hanging around the camp exit and noticed them. He wrinkled his nose. "What are you two doing?" _So nosy!_

"She-cats' business," Cinderheart retorted, lifting her muzzle into the air. She tried to move past the cream-colored tom, but he blocked their passage with his half-tail.

"But you're dragging Icecloud, and she…" Suddenly Berrynose stopped and shrugged. He removed his tail from his path. "Go, but don't say I didn't warn you. Want me to come along?"

Cinderheart's head shook from side to side. "Nope, thanks though," she declined his offer. "Bye."

Once they were a few fox-lengths from the camp entrance, Cinderheart let go of Icecloud's scruff and heaved a tired sigh. "Phew, you're really heavy!"

"Oh, so you thought I weighed as much as a feather?" Icecloud growled, picking herself up and scowling at her denmate. She swung back around and started back to camp.

"Hey! Why would I bring you out here only to let you return right back to camp?"

Icecloud froze as if all time was stopped. Then she swiveled to face Cinderheart. "What do you want from me?" she grilled anxiously. Cinderheart observed her jumping from paw to paw. Obviously she was holding something in.

Cinderheart leaned in, her gaze pulling Icecloud closer. "You have a relationship with Lionblaze. I know you do."

"N- no I don't!" Icecloud protested, trembling all over. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I heard you and him talking last night behind the nursery!"

The white she-cat collapsed onto the ground and clenched her teeth. "Cinderheart… I… I…"

The betrayed one's eyes blazed. "You're sorry? You better be. No, Lionblaze should-" Cinderheart quit speaking for a moment when she realized that Icecloud was producing low moans of pain. "Icecloud, are you alright?"

"Clearly I'm not!" she snapped in response. "The kits are coming. Get Tigerheart!"

"Er, don't you mean Jayfeather and Briarlight?" Cinderheart questioned, puzzled. "Isn't Tigerheart a ShadowClan warrior?" Then the gray queen narrowed her eyes. "Wait… he's the father?" she guessed, shocked.

Icecloud stared up at her. Her eyes shone with sadness and hurt. "Yes, if you need an explanation this heartbeat, it's that Lionblaze and I loved each other, but the kits are Tigerheart's, and he is in ShadowClan. Now get him."

A lump formed in Cinderheart's throat, and she staggered backwards toward ShadowClan territory. "B- but… we'll get in trouble! He's a rival!"

"Not to me, he isn't. Please, I'm begging you."

"Who will help you have the kits?"

"Tigerheart will. Get him, and bring him here. I'll be waiting… if the kits can wait."

Cinderheart turned around and blindly raced through the forest, instinctively knowing the turns and twists. She finally arrived at the border. Swallowing the clump, she crossed over it and bounded into the dark pine forest, hoping that the rank smell of ShadowClan would lead her to their camp.

"Hello?" Cinderheart choked on her words as she glanced around. Would anyone help her?

Just then she bumped into a brown tabby cat, and they both collapsed onto the marshy ground. Cinderheart wrinkled her nose. Now there certainly would be ShadowClan scent embedded into her pelt for a while to come. She leaped up and examined the warrior.

He was truly handsome, his young, muscly frame blocking any lower view behind him. He had sleek, dark brown tabby fur, and dashing, glinting amber eyes. It was Tigerheart!

"Tigerheart, follow me," Cinderheart motioned for him to trail after her the way she came.

"But…"

"It's Icecloud. She needs you. Now."

* * *

**Things went from LionxIce/LionxCinder to TigerxIce/LionxCinder! So what do you think about this? I thought that since some people really liked LionxIce (I, personally, don't; Cinderheart is the cat for him, even though they're very distantly related through Lionblaze's grandmother, Sandstorm, and Cinderheart's mother, Sorreltail), I could do this twist. Icecloud, you could say, was "rejected" by Lionblaze. Tigerheart was rejected by Dovewing for Bumblestripe (Dumble for the win!). I assume in my version of the story after TLH that the two met at a Gathering, and hit it off. Icecloud wanted a cover father for her kits, so she chose Lionblaze, only to have Cinderheart move into the nursery about a moon and a half later, actually expecting his kits. Lionblaze thought that both to-be litters were his… until good ol' Tigey came back in the scene.**


	5. The Blood, Puddle, and Oak

**Enjoy~**

* * *

"Poppyfrost, you can lead a border patrol to check the ShadowClan line," Squirrelflight ordered, nodding to the tortoiseshell. Poppyfrost nodded. "Go with Mousewhisker, Blossomfall, and Bumblestripe." After summoning her Clanmates to the thorn tunnel, they left and headed toward ShadowClan.

Mousewhisker and Blossomfall started chatting up a storm, and Bumblestripe moved up next to Poppyfrost. "I think they like each other a lot," he whispered in her ear, and Poppyfrost giggled. Young love… she was happy to have Berrynose.

Soon the patrol was split in half, each pair deep in their conversations. So when Poppyfrost stumbled and fell flat on her face, she was pretty sure it was just a rock that she had tripped on. "Oh, Icecloud!" Blossomfall gasped, and Poppyfrost leaped up, Bumblestripe wiping the dirt off of her dark pelt with his tail politely.

The white queen was having her kits, and she appeared to be struggling. "Mousewhisker, go get Jayfeather and Briarlight," Poppyfrost snapped the order at him. She hadn't meant to be harsh to the younger warrior, but her heart was racing. Kits weren't meant to be born outside of camp. Lilypaw and Seedpaw were, and they turned out fine, but… _Stop worrying, _Poppyfrost commanded herself, although several thoughts raced about her head at once.

"Poppyfrost… B- Blossomfall, I'm… scared," Icecloud swallowed and clenched her jaws as a ripple passed over her belly.

"Are you with anyone?" Blossomfall asked. Poppyfrost snorted inwardly. _That's a no-brainer, _she thought. _Obviously she's not._

Icecloud's round blue gaze stared up at Poppyfrost and Blossomfall. "Cinderheart," she moaned. "She went to get the… father."

Poppyfrost was confused. They hadn't passed Cinderheart on the way. Where had her sister gone? Deciding that she shouldn't pressure the queen anymore, Poppyfrost sat back and hoped for the best.

"Medicine cat coming through!" Jayfeather hollered, barreling past Blossomfall and Poppyfrost. Blossomfall glared at the back of his head.

"Medicine cat apprentice coming through!" Briarlight copied despite the worry shining in her amber eyes. However, her exclamation was muffled due to the fact that many herbs were crammed into her jaws.

Poppyfrost backed away a few steps to give the medicine cats space, but she still peeked over Jayfeather's shoulder. She was curious.

Blossomfall bit her lip so hard that it looked as if it could burst. "Will she have to have them here and now?"

Jayfeather didn't glance up from Icecloud as he answered. "Well, it will happen now," he meowed hotly, tail-tip flicking in annoyance. "I don't think she has the strength to get back to the camp in time though."

Poppyfrost's stomach twisted. What was the fate for Icecloud?

Briarlight piped up suddenly. "Jayfeather, a kit! A kit!" Poppyfrost leaned forward in anticipation, along with Blossomfall, whose eyes were wide in… horror? Poppyfrost noticed Mousewhisker rest his tail on her shoulders somewhat soothingly.

A sharp mewl pierced the air, and the blood roared in Poppyfrost's ears. "It's a tom, the first of three!" Jayfeather announced in a mumble, probably only half to the audience. Poppyfrost glimpsed a pure-white bundle identical to his mother.

Quite abruptly, Cinderheart blundered in with a dark tabby that smelled of ShadowClan by her side. Both were panting heavily. Poppyfrost gulped. What was a cat from an enemy Clan doing here?

The dark tomcat collapsed down next to Icecloud and stroked her rippling flank with his tail gently. "It'll be alright, Icecloud," he murmured in her ear.

"Excuse me," Jayfeather's head snapped up like a twig breaking from a tree. "Why are you here?"

The ShadowClan warrior fixed his unwavering gaze on Jayfeather. "I am Tigerheart, and Icecloud is my mate. I am not afraid to admit it."

Poppyfrost felt ill.

"The second kit, Jayfeather!" Briarlight choked on her words as a second kit was released into the world. Jayfeather snapped back to attention and revealed that the second kit was again a tom.

Eventually the last kit arrived, a she-kit. All were healthy and well. "May I see them?" Poppyfrost questioned, excitement fizzing in her paws. Seemingly reluctantly Jayfeather stepped aside, his blind blue gaze staring blankly at the new litter.

Icecloud was licking her sons and daughter vigorously, and in protest they mewled weakly, pawing at her stomach for milk. It gave Poppyfrost sweet memories of when Cherrystem and Molefoot were newborns.

Surprisingly, the first kit, the spitting image of his mother, was the smallest of the three, weakly kneading. His brother was the biggest, a brown tabby and white. The she-kit had shining dark brown tabby fur just like her apparent father. "They're beautiful," Poppyfrost heard Tigerheart whisper. Icecloud nodded cumbersomely in agreement.

**OoOoO**

Jayfeather had to drag the patrol away from Icecloud, Tigerheart, and their kits. It wasn't just because the little ones were so cute, but also the fact that Tigerheart was their father caused some quizzing.

Blossomfall seemed in a daze. Poppyfrost thought she heard her mutter to Mousewhisker, "I want kits…"

After remarking the slightly stale border swiftly, Poppyfrost, Blossomfall, Mousewhisker, and Bumblestripe rushed back to camp, the suspense killing them. What would happen to Icecloud, Tigerheart, and their kits?

**OoOoO**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled as Poppyfrost and her patrol pattered into the stone hollow. Blossomfall and Mousewhisker separated into their own little group. Bumblestripe excitedly bounded over to Dovewing and Ivypool. Poppyfrost searched for Berrynose and found him herding their kits over to where the rest of the ThunderClan cats were gathered. Poppyfrost joined them with a chuckle.

"Reluctant to be doing something other than napping?" she inquired, noting Molefoot's bleary gaze.

"Meh," Cherrystem answered for her brother.

Berrynose rolled his eyes. "I had to wave a dead mouse in front of their faces to wake them." He unleashed a growl of disapproval. "You two better step up and start preforming good warrior duties soon or…"

Poppyfrost cut him off, resting her tail on his shoulders. "Hush," she uttered. Bramblestar was waving his tail, his patience draining as cats persisted to whisper opinions on a ShadowClan cat being in their camp.

"Icecloud's kits have been born," Bramblestar announced. "For the moment they are unnamed."

"Actually," someone interrupted. The fur on the ThunderClan leader's spine rose. It was Tigerheart. "Icecloud and I just named them. The tabby-and-white is named Puddlekit, the brown tabby is Oakkit, and the white one is named Bloodkit." Icecloud ducked her head in minor shame as her mate completed the list of names.

"_Blood_kit?" a cat deep in the crowd called out in bewilderment.

Tigerheart puffed out his chest fearlessly. "Check out his eyes," he retorted, spinning Bloodkit around with his muscle-thick tail. Poppyfrost closed her eyes and swallowed hard as a gasp rippled through the cats. She squinted and examined Bloodkit.

His eyes were pink-red.

Bramblestar bent down from his position up high to see. "Well, t- there you go," he stammered, shock overtaking his voice. "Anyway…" he trailed off, unable to think of how to explain the rest of the story to his Clan.

Poppyfrost felt fur brush against her sleek spotted pelt and glanced over to see Berrynose stand up and boldly face Tigerheart. "What else is there? You don't mean that you're the father of these strange kits… are you?"

"Yes, I am." Tigerheart informed them steadily. "I will not hide it anymore. I am head over heels in love with Icecloud, and now that we have kits… I can't stop loving her." He leaned in closer to his mate and purred loudly.

Bramblestar dipped his head. "I will not banish you, Icecloud, but I will have to go over this with Rowanstar. Smart of you to not hide it any longer, as you would eventually be discovered." The tabby paused, taking a moment to look down at his sister's son. "But you have both betrayed the warrior code. I am disappointed in both of you, having noble parents and kin…" He shook his head. "Icecloud, I suggest you either join ShadowClan or… erm, Tigerheart you could live with your… your mate here in ThunderClan." Audible breaths of shock eliminated the silence Bramblestar had left hanging in the air for a heartbeat. The biggest one, Poppyfrost observed, came from Dovewing.

The dark tabby dunked his head in respect directed to the rival Clan leader. "Soon all of the ShadowClan scent will be removed from my pelt. I will join ThunderClan."

Berrynose sat back down with a thud. He and Poppyfrost exchanged a fretful gander.

Poppyfrost could interpret by her Clanmates' rude attitudes that it was becoming difficult for Tigerheart to fit in. But he attempted not to show his troubles.

Squirrelflight tried to help him by placing him on the third or fourth patrol, never putting Tigerheart on a group that headed to the ShadowClan border. Bramblestar had traveled to ShadowClan with Jayfeather to discuss the issue with Rowanstar. The dark ginger tomcat had accepted the fact that his son could stay with ThunderClan, but he wasn't too happy about it, Poppyfrost had been told.

One lazy, peaceful evening after Poppyfrost had completed all of her assigned patrols and dusk was approaching steadily, the tortoiseshell got the chance to observe Tigerheart interacting with other cats. She couldn't help but feel curious.

The dark brown tabby was playing with Puddlekit and Oakkit while Bloodkit sat off to the side, enviously watching his littermates with blood-red eyes as his mother washed him. The Clan was accepting Bloodkit's eyes and arrogant personality faster than they were accepting Tigerheart.

Thornclaw was always one of the warriors that had more attitude in him than wisdom. The golden brown tom strutted over as if he were the leader of all Clans and growled, "Lovely day, isn't it?"

Tigerheart glanced up and grinned, but Poppyfrost could see the hostility connecting their gazes with invisible cobweb. "It is indeed." His attention was quickly returned to Puddlekit, who was batting at his ears, and Oakkit, who was nipping his paws. The kits definitely weren't aware of their being half-Clan. _Everything is so obvious. They just don't realize it._

The senior warrior settled down on one of the rare patches of sunlight that appeared in early leaf-bare. "Your kits are… er, um, cute."

"Thanks" was all Tigerheart said in reply.

Thornclaw opened his mouth to say something else when suddenly a patrol of three raced in, their paws skidding on the half-frozen earth.

Bramblestar leaped up from his place beside Squirrelflight and demanded, "What is going on?"

The leader of the patrol, Spiderleg, had wild eyes. "The lake is flooding!" he exclaimed. "Rapidly!"

Squirrelflight cocked her head in shock. "You mean it isn't frozen?"

Mousewhisker stepped out from behind the older warrior. "It had been last time I checked. But now it's much farther out than it should be."

Toadstep was gasping for air. "We started padding on water a few fox-lengths from the normal shore. Everything beyond that was under water."

For a heartbeat Poppyfrost believed that her heart was beating in her throat. What if the water continued into Clan territory? What if their camp got flooded out?

Bramblestar stepped forward, waving his tail to silence the murmur that had grown in the past few moments. "How deep is it?" he quizzed, tooth digging into his bottom lip.

Spiderleg was calmer now, but his gaze was still terrified, pupils darting about in fear. "It just about touched my belly fur, and that was when we first entered the flood area. We have to evacuate now, or we'll all drown."

All of the kits huddled under Hazeltail, Icecloud, and Cinderheart in mixed groups. Even the apprentices backed into their den. Cherrystem and Molefoot were wide awake now, soaking in all the info they could get.

"I need to see this for myself," Bramblestar decided, walking over to the thorn tunnel. "Spiderleg, you can come with me."

The gray-muzzled tom strode back after him, tail swishing from side to side.

Poppyfrost trudged over to Berrynose, and they tapped noses with each other. She rested her head in his soft, creamy-colored fur. What was the fate of the Clans?

* * *

**Sooo yes, Bloodkit is an albino kitty… weird huh? :3**


	6. The Evacuation

**Chapter five for you.**

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Lilypaw jerked out of her nest at the sound of Bramblestar's voice, anxiety entwined into it. She knew just what he was going to say, and it wasn't going to be good.

She followed Amberpaw out of their den, the emptiness from the absence of Seedpaw overwhelming her. Now that there was this new flooding problem, no one seemed to care about Seedpaw's disappearance except her close kin.

The dark brown tabby leader was standing boldly upon the Highledge, thick muscles bulging beneath his sleek pelt. Yet he looked worn thin- did he literally have to swim most of the way back to camp?

Bramblestar bowed his head once everyone had crowded below him. "I am afraid that the flood has been progressing. It's even closer to us than when Spiderleg's patrol went out. We may have to evacuate if we cannot stop it. But no cat has told us that we can't attempt to block the water from making the hollow a lake. Who is with me to ensure that the lake stays in its place?"

Lilypaw observed Spiderleg jumping up and yowling in agreement, along with a ton of other cats. She joined in. _I'm not the mood for another Great Journey. From stories I've heard, it was harsh._

All of a sudden the grief-stricken Sorreltail hopped up from her seat beside Brackenfur. He tried to cover her mouth with his tail, but didn't get to it in time. "What if Seedpaw drowned in that flood?" she cried out, her voice a sharp edge unlike its usual casual, friendly tone.

"Impossible," Bumblestripe answered for Bramblestar. The gray tabby stood up and faced Sorreltail somewhat fearlessly.

"Now, now," Bramblestar narrowed his eyes as he said this, flicking his tail for Bumblestripe and Sorreltail to sit back down. "I am sorry Sorreltail, but none of the search parties have picked up any scent of her, not even the one I was on. Seedpaw is gone."

**OoOoO**

Lilypaw was placed on one of the "damage control" groups, not that she wanted to be part of the ongoing project. Bramblestar was a stubborn cat who would not give up hope until it really seemed that he had to.

She padded out to the brand-new shore and was surprised to feel water lapping at her paws so soon. They were barely several fox-lengths out of the thorn tunnel. Her patrolmates, Dovewing, Millie, and Amberpaw, were determinedly prodding a few long-fallen limbs and dead branches that had been lying there so long that leaf mold was commencing to stick them together.

"You need to help as well, Lilypaw," Millie grumbled as she and Dovewing heaved a large stick away from its original place. "This is for the safety of all of us."

Lilypaw nodded, bored out of her mind. She wanted to help, but this wasn't a very fun way to do so. The dark tabby clasped her jaws around the middle of the lengthy limb, watching as Millie took a step backward. Then she turned her head to watch Dovewing steal a shaky pace forward. It was the best Lilypaw could do to keep herself entertained.

Eventually Millie dropped her end of the stick, as did Dovewing. Lilypaw was the last to drop it, her jaws throbbing in pain from gripping the object so hard. Behind them, Amberpaw was dragging over a thin, flimsy branch, which she let go of, watching it hurriedly fall down next to its larger cousin.

Lilypaw wanted to remove the aftertaste from the limb from her mouth. It had a smoky, musty, moldy fungus taste that she majorly disliked. Running her tongue all over her mouth to collect the nastiness, she spat up all of the bark remnants that she could. Amberpaw gave her a humored, weird look, and then the two of them chuckled.

All of a sudden, Lilypaw felt wetness licking her paws, and as she wiggled her toes, she felt them move slower, as if they were underwater. She glanced down and felt sick. The lake water had broken through their branch barrier easily and was now past them, heading straight for the hollow!

Dovewing was already dashing back to camp to warn the warriors. Millie urged Amberpaw and Lilypaw forward, and soon paws splashing in and out of water was all Lilypaw heard as the blood roared in her ears. Her legs kept pumping up and down, up and down. There was nothing that could stop her. It was true. They would have to evacuate!

**OoOoO**

Back in the hollow, Dovewing and Millie screamed in unison, "Evacuate!"

Bramblestar sprung from his perch atop the Highledge near his den, Squirrelflight and Jayfeather on his heels. "What do you mean?" Jayfeather demanded, his blind blue gaze wild.

Dovewing looked guilty, as if she was the one who caused all of this madness. She didn't speak, so instead Millie did. "We were building a barrier, but the water broke through and flowed right past us!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Now it's heading straight for the camp!"

Beside the silver tabby, Dovewing's eyes expanded. "Watch out!" she shrieked, and although she wasn't facing the thorn tunnel, nor was there any sound of rapidly-moving water, she darted over to where she could climb up on the Highledge.

Lilypaw was confused, but soon enough she heard that ugly, terrifying sound, and followed Dovewing upwards. The rest of the Clan pushed their way to the top, and somehow almost everyone was able to balance on the Highledge. Some cats were crammed in Bramblestar's den, but Lilypaw was lucky enough to be in the heart of the group, squashed between Dewpaw and Bramblestar himself. Dovewing was directly behind her, breathing down Lilypaw's neck. "It's here," the gray she-cat muttered.

Lilypaw saw a cat was still down in the clearing just heartbeats before the water burst through the thorn tunnel. It was Graystripe. The gray elder was struggling to climb the rocks. He was nearly blind, and couldn't see to get his way up there.

Millie, who was crouched next to Dewpaw, yowled in despair and called for Graystripe to follow her voice. She was his mate, despite being a few seasons younger than him.

The water broke through the thorn tunnel and gushed throughout the clearing. The water was rising fast. The cats at the edge of the ledge backed up, shoving more cats into the stuffy cave.

Lilypaw heard Bramblestar yowl above the worried, anxious murmurs. "Cats in my den, if you can hear me, start digging on the back wall! It is earthen, and we should be able to escape through there!" The dark tabby apprentice picked up the sound of paws thumping against the vulnerable clumps of dry mud. Claws scratched against the only blockade that kept the ThunderClan cats from escaping to safety.

By then Lilypaw had been shoved all the way in Bramblestar's freezing cold cave. The stone froze her paws in time. She cringed in pain as one of her Clanmates, struggling to get through the crowd to the front to help dig, smashed her against a wall made of boulders melted together. Her shoulder smacked hard against the rock. Shaking it off, Lilypaw fixed her gaze on the progress of the diggers, one of whom- her father- she had a direct line of vision to.

"I got it!" Brackenfur abruptly yowled, and the earth started to crumble before him. The golden brown tabby pushed into it harder, and eventually a gaping hole sat invitingly before the homeless Clan.

Cats initiated to pour out of the stuffy cave, and soon Lilypaw had room to flex her shoulders, even her claws. She pulled in behind Thornclaw, who kept ramming his head into the cat ahead of him. "Hurry up!" the rude warrior demanded. "I don't want to drown!"

_Wish you would, _Lilypaw thought bitterly to herself, and suddenly realized that she was starting to behave a lot like Seedpaw now that her sister was absent. _You are not a heartless cat that only thinks foul._

Before long Lilypaw was the next cat to go. It was a fairly long jump: through the wide hole that Brackenfur and the other diggers had eventually created, there was a bulky tree branch extending out toward them like an inviting helping paw. It looked safe enough, and it was Lilypaw's only choice besides drowning once the water flooded the cave or dropping the lengthy fall down, and they were nearly at the top of what used to be their hollow.

She watched Thornclaw crouch down in a jumping position, and directly after that he leaped, landing on the tree limb safely. He shuttled along with two Clanmates that had been there to help him in case he had to scrabble up by one paw. Lilypaw gulped and tried not to glance down, although it was pretty hard not to.

"Come on, you can do it. The rest of us are waiting," a gentle voice encouraged her. At first Lilypaw thought it was Honeyfern in her head, but then she realized that it was Leafpool behind her.

"Okay, I can do this." Lilypaw took a breath, closed her eyes, bent her legs the way she had seen experienced old Thornclaw do. Then she did more of a hop over. _I didn't go far enough _was her first thought as she sailed over as far as she could in midair. Suddenly Lilypaw felt her claws scrape bark, and she grinned, the butterflies fluttering out of her stomach. She had made it.

Lilypaw climbed the rest of the way up and nodded to Thornclaw, who had been shoved back to help when things didn't look good for her. All Lilypaw could think was, _I made it. I made it!_

She and Thornclaw stayed behind to assist Leafpool, and the brown tabby leaped onto the tree with them swiftly and easily without pressure. A few more cats went after her, including the three queens holding kits, then finally Tigerheart.

Bramblestar leaned forward far ahead on the tree next door and counted his Clan. "Nearly all of us have made it," he called, meaning Graystripe. "Now we will continue on. Our life at the lake is now behind us, and it is time for us to start a new adventure. I will call it… the Second Great Journey."

"The Second Great Journey," Thornclaw breathed beside Lilypaw. "I remember the first one clear in my mind."

Leafpool nodded in agreement. "It was so tiring, and I was just a young apprentice full of energy then!"

Lilypaw was already tired enough from the effort it took to make the pounce she did. _I suppose another Great Journey it is. _

ThunderClan continued to balance, hopping from tree to tree. As they did so, Lilypaw hoped that they would find Seedpaw somewhere during the journey.

**OoOoO**

Once they were back on non-flooded land again, they met up with ShadowClan and WindClan as one big group. "Where's RiverClan?" Bramblestar questioned nervously.

The ShadowClan leader, Rowanstar, was panting heavily. He was soaked to the bone, his thin, lanky frame exposed. "I don't know. They're the ones that can swim, after all. Maybe they'll survive where they are."

"We're here!" a weak, raspy voice called out, and there was all of RiverClan, maybe minus a few cats. "We're mostly safe and sound." Reedstar's black fur glinted with the sparkly tint of water.

"Thank StarClan," Ashfoot from WindClan murmured, practically dragging herself up to stand nearby Rowanstar. "Now we can continue… right?"

Bramblestar looked puzzled. "But where's Onestar, if you don't mind my asking? Is he back there somewhere?"

Ashfoot shook her head. "No. Onestar is dead. He just drowned. I am the new leader of WindClan, but I haven't received my true name yet. I am still at one ailing life."

Crowfeather bounded forward to be with his mother. "I am her deputy." His dark blue gaze scanned the line of exhausted ThunderClan cats, and they stuck on Leafpool. Lilypaw heard the tabby swallow faintly, and the gray tom looked away.

The ThunderClan leader dipped his head in respect. "Congratulations," he said. "Now let's get a move on." Bramblestar swiveled around on his hind paws and faced the way ahead of them. "Let's beat the water to the mountains. It is about time we reunite with the Tribe of Rushing Water."

"What's that?" a scrawny white apprentice from WindClan called out. Crowfeather smiled and glanced down at her.

"You'll see, Ticklepaw. You'll see."

**OoOoO**

Life wasn't getting easier. The heartbeat Lilypaw set a paw onto the rocky mountain landscape, she knew that it wasn't going to be easy travel going up. Even worse, she was trapped between grumpy, complaining Thornclaw and silent, outspoken Leafpool for the time being.

"I don't remember it being this long," Thornclaw whined, glaring at his paws. Lilypaw sighed. _Shut up already._

**OoOoO**

Gradually night settled in. The moon was finally high up in the sky, not quite full, but big enough so that it cast a glowing light and illuminated the cats' path. "I think it's about time to rest for the night!" Bramblestar yelled from far up front, and Lilypaw felt relief flood her. She trailed after everyone else into a dark forest, but for once she felt at home.

The dark treetops rustled in the faint breeze. There was a thicker amount of snow higher up there, but it didn't freeze Lilypaw's paws. Her feet were already numb, the blood running cold under the hardened pink pads.

She found a fairly warm place underneath a bush. She had to share it with Amberpaw and another apprentice from RiverClan named Creekpaw, but Lilypaw didn't care as long as they were nice and weren't disruptive during the evening.

In the middle of the night, a paw prodded her side, delving into a ticklish spot for her. Lilypaw roused with a giggle and glanced up, just for a moment thinking that it was Seedpaw, waking her up to inform her that she was back and back for good.

But it was Bramblestar. "Get up," he whispered. "Get up and follow me out here." He tiptoed out of the brush, dark tabby fur tufts left behind on brittle branches that jutted out from the spiny leaves.

Shocked, Lilypaw hopped up; she was shivering cold the heartbeat she stepped out from her shelter. Gently, inaudible snowflakes fell softly from the sky.

He faced her and murmured, "I received a prophecy about you and your sisters."

"A… prophecy?" she muttered. "What type of prophecy?"

Bramblestar shrugged. "I didn't really get it," he uttered in a low tone. "But it had part of your names in it. Here goes: _A seed will be planted and lilies and poppies will sprout; but can the cinder ashes save them all from the storm that approaches?_"

Lilypaw blinked. She thought. _It sounds like Cinderheart will have to _save _Poppyfrost, Seedpaw, and I. So that means Seedpaw _will _come back! _"Who gave you the message?" was all she said aloud.

"Honeyfern," Bramblestar answered wistfully, staring out in space beyond Lilypaw.

"I've been getting visits from her, too. But she never told me anything about a prophecy that I was involved in."

The Clan leader leaned forward and mewed in her ear, "Whatever it may be about, I want you and Poppyfrost to help lead us all. I have a feeling that there is something hostile in the air about the tribe. Perhaps we should leave them alone for a bit. Now go back to sleep."

Lilypaw nodded, feeling her eyelids commence to droop again. She obeyed and padded back to the bush.

**OoOoO**

The next morning arrived too soon for Lilypaw. Or maybe it was just the fact that she had been awake in the heart of the night just a bit too long.

She thought back to the previous eve and wondered why Bramblestar had jumped to conclusions so quickly. _Maybe he's just desperate. _

Lilypaw smoothed her fur that had been ruffled from sleep, her rough tongue slick against her pelt. She stretched then climbed out from the bush. Creekpaw was still asleep, but Amberpaw had apparently woken up and left earlier.

The dark tabby glanced around once she was out. Soft pine needles, orange with death, cushioned her paws as she walked. _ShadowClan's probably at home here. _

Over to the side of the small clearing most of the Clan cats had settled in temporarily, Squirrelflight, Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, and Graymist- all of the deputies- somewhat reluctantly and awkwardly sent out mixed patrols of cats to catch some prey.

Lilypaw started over to them to be assigned to a patrol, but Bramblestar found her first, and he took her over to a private gap in some bushes where Cinderheart and Poppyfrost already sat in waiting.

"I told them beforepaw," Bramblestar informed Lilypaw. "So are you and Poppyfrost willing to lead us?"

Cinderheart narrowed her dim blue eyes and challenged her leader. "What about me?"

Bramblestar arranged his lips into a thin, straight line. "You're fairly close to having your kits, Cinderheart. I don't want to put any pressure on you."

The gray queen scoffed but didn't protest. "Whatever," she mumbled.

"Anyway," Poppyfrost stood up, breaking the ice between her sister and Bramblestar. "I would be delighted to help you. I just can't believe that I'm directly involved in a prophecy! It's so neat." She smiled.

Tiredly Lilypaw nodded, and Bramblestar looked satisfied. "Great. Now how about you two rest up some more as much as you can before we all start journeying again? It will be a bit until all of us get fed."

**OoOoO**

"Seedpaw!" a wail echoed throughout the forest. Lilypaw jerked awake, for a heartbeat thinking that she was back in the hollow and her sister had returned. But no, she was in the other forest, one that was more ShadowClan style, where the RiverClan cats scowled at their dry paws, where the WindClan cats paced under the treetops, eager to see the sky once again. Where ThunderClan was forced to eat frogs that the ShadowClan cats were experienced in catching.

However, the shriek sounded very realistic, and Lilypaw darted out of the leafy bush, spiky holly leaves clinging to her fur.

Sorreltail was just behind what appeared to be the fresh-kill pile, and Brackenfur had already dashed over to see what was obviously wrong. The tortoiseshell was sniffing wildly at some sizeable hunks of moss, her amber eyes wild. "I smell _Seedpaw _in this moss! She's been here! Seedpaw!" Her mother's legs folded underneath her and she sobbed. "Oh, where are you?"

Bramblestar had been sharing tongues with Spiderleg, and he abandoned the tom and their squirrel to race over to Sorreltail. "Let me investigate," the brown tabby ordered, and shakily Sorreltail shuffled backwards. He sniffed, and his eyes widened. "It is her! We might be on her trail. Keep on searching" was all Bramblestar said to the distressed queen before heading back to Spiderleg.

Rowanstar squeezed through the brush that separated ThunderClan's clearing from ShadowClan's clearing. "We're all ready to start back up again." The dark ginger tom ducked his head. "Although I am worried about Dawnpelt. She is very close to having her kits too."

Lilypaw snapped to attention and realized that she was eavesdropping again. With a low, soft sigh, she emerged farther out from behind the undergrowth and revealed herself.

Bramblestar completed his chat with Rowanstar and whipped around, laying his eyes on her almost instantly. "Wonderful!" he said, and bounded over to Lilypaw. "Are you ready to pursue our destiny?"

He was preforming the clearly overexcited trick on her, and Lilypaw didn't exactly appreciate it. "Whoopee," she growled. Her bones and muscles were still weary. It was one of the days when she had growing pains.

If Bramblestar noticed her owning an attitude with no enthusiasm, he didn't show it. "Come on!" he ran over to the edge of the forest, and Lilypaw was forced to pick up the pace to keep up with him. _Kill me now._

The Clan leaders gathered up their Clans in no time, and soon they were padding away from their rest area. Lilypaw and Poppyfrost were in the lead, the leaders close on their tail.

"Didn't they decide that it was our destiny to lead them a bit too quickly?" Lilypaw whined, looking at Poppyfrost to see what she'd meow in reply.

"I guess they're desperate," Poppyfrost answered, glancing at Bramblestar out of the corner of her eye. "But I've never been involved in any real action before. I'm pretty excited."

The higher the cats went, the rockier the mountains got. Lilypaw's paws were pulsing with pain, nipping at her legs as if to say, "Take a break, please!" And the fact that it was leaf-bare didn't help either. Lilypaw was nearly numb, and the only feeling she had was the realization that she was shivering madly.

Behind them, Bramblestar abruptly spoke, startling Lilypaw. "I'm beginning to recognize these scents…" he paused and blinked. "I wonder if we might be approaching the Tribe of Rushing Water's territory."

"Oh, the tribe!" Poppyfrost gushed, lifting her nose into the air, nostrils flaring. "Do you smell other cats, Lilypaw?"

Lilypaw had her nose to the ground. She was sniffing hard. "Seedpaw?" she murmured, eyes expanding. "I think I smell Seedpaw!" For the first time in a while, Lilypaw was excited and smiling.

Sorreltail rushed to the front. "Did I hear Seedpaw's name?" she demanded, pushing her nose onto the floor. She didn't see an upcoming sharp stone that jutted out from the ground and scraped her nose against it. "Yeee-ouch!" Sorreltail yowled and jumped back. "Are you _sure _you scented Seedpaw?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Lilypaw was ecstatic. She snuffled around and suddenly someone bumped into her. She whipped around, about to snap, but just saw her father, Brackenfur. He pushed forward, managing to lap at Lilypaw's ear along the way.

Suddenly brown-and-white fur brushed against Lilypaw's nose and she started. She halted, Poppyfrost halted, the whole group halted. Lilypaw was gazing directly at a mangled spotted she-cat who sneered over at two toms. "Stripes, Flick, looks like we've got competition to our little prisoner."

Sorreltail's hackles rose and she advanced in front of Lilypaw. "_You've _got Seedpaw? You've made a wrong decision, you piece of fox-dung."

"Fox-dung, eh?" the rogue growled in return. She flicked her tail, and two toms, one a silver tabby and the other a pale brown, stepped forward. "You'll turn into fox-dung if you challenge us."

"Oh, we will!" Sorreltail spat, unsheathing her claws and aiming a close blow to the she-cat's muzzle.

"Should we fight 'em, Flora?" the silver tabby asked in an accent only mountain cats bore.

The she-cat apparently named Flora easily dodged Sorreltail's spotted paw and snorted. "Is that all you got?" she aimed her challenge at the Clan cats, and then turned to the silver tom. "Of course we will. If you don't fight them, your name isn't Stripes."

Poppyfrost pulled back her lips, revealing glinting pearly white fangs. "Just try us! You think that three against dozens will work out?"

Flora rolled her eyes. "Then step forward, weakling. Show me what you've got."

The silver tabby, named Stripes, faced Lilypaw. She swallowed back her fear and plunged into battle. Lilypaw had never fought before but had been taught well by Millie. She closed her eyes so tightly that she thought her eyelids would tear for a heartbeat. She flailed her arms around until her claws caught onto fur. Lilypaw pulled.

"Ow!" a cat moaned, and Lilypaw opened her eyes. Stripes was backing away. He was missing a huge chunk of fur on his shoulder, and Lilypaw's gaze flitted down to her unsheathed paws. A clump of silver-gray fur had caught in her claws.

The brown tom, named Flick Lilypaw guessed, had run straight for Bramblestar, who couldn't gain control before the fight commenced. The rest of the warriors flooded out behind them, their claws, eyes, and teeth shining in the mid-day sun.

However, while Lilypaw was thinking, Stripes had been able to have an advantage, and next thing Lilypaw knew she was being pinned, and Stripes' spiny canines were closing in on her neck. Most of the cats had gone to assist either Poppyfrost or Bramblestar, but of course a cat shouldered Stripes away in the nick of time.

Stripes fell hard on the rocky ground and was dazed for a moment. In that moment, Lilypaw's savior nipped his leg deeply before spinning back to help the stunned Lilypaw up.

It was Smokefoot from ShadowClan. Lilypaw dipped her head to Smokefoot, and he nodded before trotting away to knock out Flick.

Lilypaw scrambled up and gazed around the battlefield. Stripes was limping over to come to Flora's aid. Smokefoot was now slamming his paw against Flick's jaw. Flora was tearing at Poppyfrost still, but Flick had moved on from Bramblestar and was battling Crowfeather when Smokefoot came along. All of the cats from each Clan had come to attack, and the trio of rogues were only starting to look overwhelmed. They still fought fiercely despite the obvious fact that they were terribly outnumbered. The queens and elders hung back with the kits, hiding in the safety of a dried bush and some crunchy bracken.

Lilypaw's eyes fell back onto Bramblestar again. Blood was oozing from a gash in his side. Besides that were a few minor scratches at his neck. As Lilypaw got closer to him, she glimpsed dried blood encrusted around the scratches.

Ducking to avoid a yowling, tussling ball of brown and black fur, Lilypaw made it to her leader and crouched down beside him. "B- Bramblestar, are you alright?" she gasped, sniffing his cut delicately.

He could barely speak. "Goldenflower, is that you? Oh, Lilypaw, it's you… I'm fine." Lilypaw watched Bramblestar gnash his teeth together in clear pain.

Lilypaw's tooth dug into her lower lip. "Do you want me to fetch Jayfeather or Briarlight or any medicine cat?" She was worried for him. Would he lose his first life right here, right now?

Bramblestar shakily moved his head a bit to see Lilypaw better. "No…" he whispered.

She was dying to ask, "But why?" then thought better of it. "What do you want me to do, then?" Lilypaw inquired instead.

He took a long blink and watched cats soar around in battle mode. Then he swallowed and said, "Go comfort the queens, kits, and elders over there," Bramblestar flicked his tail over a long line of brush with trembling forms, big, small, and frail, behind it.

"Okay, whatever you wish, Bramblestar." Shakily Lilypaw dipped her head then stumbled over to the bush.

Lilypaw first saw a black-furred cat drenched in the smell of RiverClan and fish. "Reedstar?" she tilted her head, puzzled. "May I ask what you are doing here?"

The rival Clan leader craned his neck upwards and met her gaze steadily. "Youngling, I am protecting our queens, kits, and elders since no other cat has offered to do the job." He pursed his lips, and for a heartbeat Lilypaw wondered if Reedstar was truly terrified of losing a life. His glossy pelt was wound-free. Flora and her band of cats hadn't noticed the bush, Lilypaw figured. "My sympathy for your leader, by the way," Reedstar added suddenly, startling Lilypaw out of her thoughts. She turned to find Bramblestar lying limp to the side of the clearing. Someone who was strong enough to manage his weight had pulled him over swiftly. His chest wasn't moving.

"So he's…"

"Temporarily 'dead', you can call it," Reedstar replied solemnly. "He will still be a strong cat when he comes back. May be a bit winded though. My mother…" he trailed off. Lilypaw could easily tell that he missed Mistystar.

They sat there for a moment, all silent, until Reedstar spoke again. "I must go help my Clan." And he took off without uttering another word. Mystified, Lilypaw anxiously stayed back and crouched down next to a trembling tortoiseshell queen from ShadowClan. Three young kits were curled up protectively in the crook of her tail.

Lilypaw leaned in closer to the queen and offered a wan grin. "Hi, I'm Lilypaw from ThunderClan," she mewed softly, locking gazes with a ginger-tortoiseshell kit of hers. His innocent, round blue eyes just about made her heart melt. Lilypaw hoped that she'd be able to have kits of her own someday, with a wonderful, loyal mate. But who would he be?

"I'm Olivenose," the she-cat responded, swiveling her head around to look over Lilypaw. "And these little ones are Flamekit" –she flicked her tail-tip at the ginger-tortoiseshell tom- "and this gray tom is Wetkit, and the dark ginger she-kit is Russetkit, all named after fallen warriors in our Clan." She nodded to her kits as she named them.

Wetkit abruptly wailed and buried his nose in his mother's chest fur. "No, Daddy!"

"He's worried for his father, Smokefoot," Olivenose explained tenderly. "I am too."

Lilypaw watched Wetkit's siblings. Russetkit's eyes were glistening, and Flamekit was hiding his face. "They're precious," she commented sweetly.

"Thanks!" Olivenose smiled. "Not to brag, but I think they are too."

Lilypaw slunk down and padded behind Olivenose and her kits, continuing on to the next cat. The next warrior was an elder, a light brown tabby tom with dull amber eyes. His pelt smelled of rabbits and moors- WindClan.

"Hello, my name is Lilypaw. What's yours?" Lilypaw settled down beside the tomcat, tucking her paws in under her chest.

He heaved a raspy sigh and answered in a low whisper, "My throat is killing me, so I will not talk much. I am Owlwhisker." Owlwhisker was going to continue but was instead interrupted by a furious yowl from the battle. Both Lilypaw and the elder's heads shot up as they peered curiously over the hedge.

The whole battle stilled. Every cat was staring at a ThunderClan tom. Apparently the yell had come from Birchfall. He was in the center of the panic-stricken clearing, chest heaving. He ran his tongue over his bloody lips and slid his claws in and out. His brown tabby stripes were crisscrossed with bloody scratches. "You," Birchfall went on, looking daggers at Flora.

Flora twisted her neck to roll her eyes at Stripes and Flick. "This is gonna be good," she remarked with a snort to her scarlet-infused gang.

Stripes and Flick snickered but backed away from their leader, probably expecting a fight between her and Birchfall.

Next to her, Lilypaw heard a heavy gulp from Owlwhisker. "Good luck to your Clanmate," the WindClan cat murmured, and Lilypaw thanked him. Then she watched, amber-hued eyes round.

Birchfall's own amber eyes ignited a fire that was unheard of temper-wise. "You started all of this, and I will be the one to end it."

* * *

**Dang Birchfall, you feisty boy.**


	7. The Arrival

**Time to dish out some more Seedpaw for you :3**

* * *

A few sunrises came and went,but according to Seedpaw's paws, a moon had passed since she began her personal journey.

Stabbing her delicate pink pads with an unseen pointy boulder wasn't exactly enjoyable. Seedpaw was actually having second thoughts about even doing this.

Seedpaw had managed to hunt down a mouse or two, but other than that she had been inserting her claw into a grub and swallowing it whole without giving her tongue a chance to taste it. When Seedpaw did this she nearly gagged.

She hadn't come across a barely trickling stream for a while, and Seedpaw was hardly surviving without water. Her throat pleaded to be moist again.

Then, it happened.

Tail lashing excitedly, Seedpaw, enthused from the tips of her ears to the tip of her tail, scented another cat. No, three or four other cats! Blood was mended into their scents, but Seedpaw figured it was just them catching fresh-kill.

The ginger apprentice padded after the scent, easily tracking down an abandoned Twoleg nest where the scent trail concluded. Seedpaw snatched a deep breath of cool, refreshing mountain air before proceeding into the rotting, slumping nest.

It was rare to see any sign of Twolegs, ancient or fresh, in the mountains, so Seedpaw was pretty excited to find something that reminded her of her home at the lake. She crept around, paws landing on ground that reminded Seedpaw of marshy ShadowClan territory. _I may have finally found hope in this wretched place, _the she-cat thought in relief.

"Hello?" Seedpaw called out, and following that was a coughing fit. _Great StarClan, this scent was fresh! Where could these cats be?_

"Who goes there?" a raspy voice returned, and Seedpaw bounced on her paws in excitement, landing in a stumble thanks to her legs, which were worn thin to the bone.

"My name is Seedpaw, and I come from ThunderClan searching for a new life," she called out confidently. "I come in peace," Seedpaw added, now nervous that these cats might not be friendly.

"Who said you were welcome here?" a new cat piped up. Seedpaw started, realizing that the voice came from a shadowy corner in the stinky clearing she was in. Sprouts poked through the slats of carved tree on the ground, tickling Seedpaw's paws as she walked over to the dark area.

"It is nothing but a Clan cat. Don't be fearful, Flick," the first voice replied, and the owner of it stepped out of another dim corner. Seedpaw spun to face the cat, a dappled she-cat.

"Hi." Seedpaw gulped and met the she-cat's gaze as steadily as she could muster.

The unfamiliar cat narrowed her eyes. Then she cackled and mewed, "I'm Flora."

"Nice to meet you, Flora," Seedpaw responded, pacing two more steps toward the brown-and-white she-cat.

Flora narrowed her eyes and lashed her tail once. Seedpaw's stomach muscles clenched, but the only other cats that came out were three- a brown tom, a silver tabby tom, and a tortoiseshell she-cat.

The silver tabby curled his lip at Seedpaw. "Well, it's not nice to meet you, Seed_paw_."

The brown tom unsheathed his claws. "Yeah, what type of name is that?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat just trembled, looking afraid. She appeared to be the youngest of the group along with the brown tom.

Flora spat and ran her claws down the other she-cat's flank since she was the closest to her. "Can it, flea-brains. Let her go or you'll suffer."

The brown tom looked at her with a protesting gaze. "But, Mother, she's just a weak Clan cat…"

"Flick, your sister is already wounded. Do you want to be like Twist?" Flora snapped, raising a clawed paw to prove she wasn't afraid.

_I can feel it. I like this, _Seedpaw thought. _Nobody gets along here. I think I can fit in. _"Are you challenging me?" Seedpaw growled, facing the tom named Flick.

Twist winced and turned away, stumbling to lie on the ground, her wound exposed and gushing blood. "No… more…" she rasped before settling her head down on the rotting floor.

Flick licked his lips. "I can taste your blood already!" he exclaimed before lashing out at Seedpaw. The ginger tabby apprentice inserted her claws into Flick's shoulder and pulled.

He reeled back, and Seedpaw licked her claws, the salty scarlet flooding into her mouth from her paws as she lapped it up. "I can taste _your _blood now!" Seedpaw responded, chortling softly.

The silver tabby's eyes widened and he bit his lip. "_This _is a Clan cat?" he queried. "Are you sure, Flora, because this one is younger and…"

"Shush, Stripes. Let me watch and see if she can beat our son," Flora answered, her mottled and patched pelt bristling, gaze thrilled.

Despite the fact that his shoulder was nearly ripped apart, Flick didn't give up. Seedpaw showed her fangs. She wasn't finished yet either. He lunged at her again, totally uneducated battle move-wise. Remembering what Brightheart had taught her, Seedpaw reared up and slashed her claws over his face. Flick gasped in pain and staggered back, falling down beside his suffering littermate.

Chest heaving for breath, Seedpaw sat down, uninjured except a few scratches where Flick had tried to get her.

"You… win," Flick breathed, clenching his teeth as he bled.

Flora licked Seedpaw's shoulder, reminding her of what a new warrior did to the Clan leader at their ceremony. She wondered if this meant that she could be a warrior according to these rogues. Seedpaw certainly felt like she was one.

"Well done… for a kit," Flora snorted and looked Seedpaw over before turning to Stripes. "How come our kits are useless clumps of dirt while this Clan cat is… is a masterpiece?"

Stripes shrugged. "I promise I'll teach Flick and Twist more soon, if they survive," he added, gazing uncertainly down at the hurt young cats. Twist was laying ominously still, a puddle of blood pooling around her. Flick was shuddering as ripples of pain passed through him like a kitting queen. His thin, wiry pale brown fur was soaked in blood.

Seedpaw gulped. "So you're not… mad that I crippled your son?" she quizzed, preparing for Flora to leap at her neck.

Flora shook her head, and Seedpaw was shocked. "Of course I'm not angry. In fact, I'm very proud of you. If only you were my daughter…" she trailed off, ogling her kits. Twist was most certainly dead from blood loss, and Flick was fitfully tossing and turning, tearing open his gashes even more.

"So can I stay for a bit?" Seedpaw asked the question she had worried about ever since she arrived there. She dug her claws into the ground, attempting to rid them of Flick's brown blood-clotted fur.

"We might as well need new youngsters to train with our battle moves. The others never understood anyway," Flora decided with a twitch from her ear. Then she motioned with a nod over to one of the many dark shadows where no light seeped through the gaps in the roof. "You can help us with our next attack, but first you need a tour."

**OoOoO**

Once Flora and Seedpaw had settled on sleeping arrangements and places in their group, they returned to the main clearing, where Stripes was stroking his tail against Flick's flank. "He's barely alive," Stripes murmured, looking up at the two living she-cats, his amber eyes glittering with sadness.

"Have no sympathy for him, my mate," Flora dismissed her suffering son with a flick of her tail. "He will die. We have Seedpaw and there will be more kits in the future. It's not the end of the world. The mountains aren't going to crumple to rubble, and-"

Stripes interrupted, apparently not listening to his mate. "I gave him these soft leaves I found growing just outside, and I put cobwebs on his wounds. I think his pulse is getting stronger!" His tone reminded Seedpaw of Briarlight's when she cured Molefoot's whitecough, an eager medicine cat apprentice saving a cat's life for the first time.

Flora's hackles rose, and Seedpaw stumbled backwards, startled by her sudden wave of emotions. "Are you not a rogue? For us _wild_ cats, we either live or die. Usually it's the second aforementioned thing, but-"

"You could at least thank me for trying to save our son!" Stripes cut in. He stood up from Flick, tail waving agitatedly. "Maybe you don't love him, but I do. I have a bond with Flick, and if I lost him, I'd never forgive myself. I can at least try, alright?

"I can at least try."

**OoOoO**

"Now, the next step in the process of living with us is to change your name," Flora mewed the next dawn. Sitting beside her was Stripes, and next to him was the miraculously, rapidly recovering Flick, who glowered at her constantly.

"What?" Seedpaw inquired. She was hunkering directly across from Flora, eyes wide in bewilderment. "No offense, but I think that my name is perfectly fine."

Flora's ears flattened. "It's either that, or you bury Twist. Which do you pick?" Her scruffy eyebrow rose. "I think it is obvious what you want."

Seedpaw swallowed, ashamed that she had confronted her new leader. She imagined doing that to Bramblestar back when she was a member of ThunderClan, and shivered. Seedpaw thought of what she and the three rogues would be like as a Clan. _The leader would be Flora… Florastar? No, Flowerstar! Then Stripes would be the deputy, Stripespelt? No, just Stripepelt. Or medicine cat? No, we're a rogue Clan, we don't have a healer. Then Flick would be a young warrior, Flickclaw? I suppose so. Then me, still Seedpaw. Apprentice to Flora, I hope! _Then Seedpaw stopped her train of thoughts. _Stop thinking about Clan-related stuff! _

"Hello, crazy cat?" A tail _whooshed _against Seedpaw's nose, making her sneeze. The tail was solid brown. _Flick. It will be hard to live with him. _

"Sorry, I'm here," Seedpaw sat up straight as a tree, which she hadn't seen in a while and kind of missed. "I drifted off into my own world for a heartbeat. Sorry," she apologized again.

"I'll see that it doesn't happen again," Flora snarled, looking disgusted. Seedpaw shrunk back in pure horror of being beaten up by the larger, older she-cat, but Flora didn't make a move. "Anyway," the tortoiseshell went on. "Stripes and I have many seasons of experience in hunting, more so fighting. Kind of like your Clan- I've heard many stories about the Clans, trust me. They once came through here, and we met them…

"Anyway, we have had many litters of kits, none of whom survived. Our blood didn't run through their veins. Flick is a true survivor, and so are you. But you cannot keep your Clan name if you want to learn from us. You must be a rogue to live with us and understand our ways and customs. Do you accept, or do you want to flee back to your Clan now?"

_Do I? _Seedpaw closed her eyes tightly and thought. _I'll never go back to ThunderClan again. This will be my life now. Do I want it? _

"Get on with it," Flick demanded impatiently.

_Yes, I want it. I can kill Flick if I want. _"Yes," Seedpaw declared. "I will change my name and beliefs to fit yours."

Flora dipped her head. "Alright then. _–paw _is removed from your name. You are now just Seed, and you are a rogue. Not a Clan kitty. A rogue," she mewed. There was an ambitious gleam in Flora's eye that Seedpaw- or Seed- enjoyed seeing. She liked it.

"I am Seed," she whispered, astounded. She had her own life now.

**OoOoO**

"So, if you don't mind my asking, when is this attack you're planning?" Seed questioned blandly as she and Flora patrolled around the mountains.

A sunrise had passed since her new naming. Seed's pads were hardening, getting used to the sharp stones and pebbles that pierced her paws. The sun was present in the sky, shining brightly, but the chilly mountain air still made Seed fluff up her pelt to keep herself warm. Seed turned and examined Flora. She admired the way the fierce brown-and-white-furred cat walked with swag, her broad head swinging side to side slowly as she moved. Flora was Seed's leader now.

"Soon. If we see our enemy again, we will attack immediately," Flora informed her. "You seem talented enough to be prepared for anything. But I'm actually not surprised you took down Flick. He's just like all of our other kits, including Twist… she was strong once, but when we trained her harder she backed down. What a weakling."

Behind them, where Stripes and Flick had taken up the rear, the brown tom's throat rumbled. "I can fight well!" Flick protested, but Flora either didn't hear or didn't care.

Suddenly Seed felt a quick, sharp pain engulf her tail, and she yelped in abruptness. She whipped around and shot Flick a death glare. He ran his tongue over his shiny canines, simpering innocently.

Flick had bitten the tip of Seed's tail.

Right away Seed unleashed her thorn-sharp claws and tensed, preparing to scrape them down Flick's flank.

Flora and Stripes stopped walking when they noticed that they'd left the two apprentices behind. "Hey, not when he just-" Stripes started, but the blood was already roaring in Seed's ears, and she lunged herself at the mere brown tom, who screeched in surprise.

"I only bit her tail!" Flick protested before he and Seed launched into yet another flurry of nipping, clawing ginger and brown fur.

Stripes lurched forward, but Flora lashed her tail out and pulled him gently back in with her strength. "Let them fight," Flora soothed her mate. "It's just another brother-sister training session."

"But Flick's wounds will be opened again!" Stripes cried and buried his face into Flora's dappled fur. Flora only shook her head and looked upon the miniature battle with an unwavering dull green gaze.

After Seed raked her claws over Flick's upper chest at the nape of his neck, he was stunned for a bit, so she took the advantage to gnaw on his other scrawny shoulder while he was vulnerable.

Quickly Flick sprung back up again and managed to get his claws into the delicate skin of Seed's ear, and he ripped it harshly. Seed choked as blood streamed down her cheek, moistening it as it trickled down her body until it dripped onto the dusty stone beneath her shaking paws.

"Stop; you can stop now," Flora suddenly ordered in a low hiss. "Our adversary is approaching swiftly. I said stop!" she added when Flick tried a second swipe at Seed's other ear, and it connected briefly, but luckily it hardly tore the skin. The two young cats were left with damaged shoulders and ears.

Seed braced herself as in the distance, she spotted a small group of cats wrapping around the bend. She opened her mouth and caught their scent in the air. It was exactly what she smelled mixed with the rogues' scents at the border. Collecting blood with her tongue as she ran it over her teeth, Seed crouched down, anticipating digging her claws into those cats' fur.

Flora stepped in front of Stripes, Flick, and Seed, sheltering them from any sudden attacks. The other patrol stopped in front of Flora, and Seed peeked out from behind the brown-and-white she-cat to see a small patrol of three cats, so they were outnumbered. _Good, _Seed thought hungrily.

At the head of the opposing patrol was a small dark brown tabby tom, who narrowed his eyes unhappily. Behind him were a white she-cat and a gray she-cat. All had a bulky frame, and thick, strong muscles rippled under their sleek pelts, despite it being leaf-bare. _They must be well-fed. _

"Flora," the dark tabby began. He cleared his throat then marked the border before her face defensively. "Have you come to challenge the Tribe of Rushing Water?"

Seed thought he looked tired even though he had a muscly build. Then she realized something: _The Tribe of Rushing Water? That's the Tribe! So this is Flora's opponent? Oh, no… _

**OoOoO**

"Which one are you?" Flora asked with a snort. "Sheer, right?" she went on without letting the tom answer the question.

The tom dipped his head politely. "Sheer Path beside Water-"

Flora interrupted him. "Oh, I just remembered: I don't care. Sorry." She flicked her tail once, and apparently that was a signal because Stripes and Flick leaped out from behind her. Seed did too, and pulled back her lips in a snarl. This Tribe had helped the Clans- the Clans she was no longer a part of.

The white she-cat and gray she-cat filed out until they stood in an even battle line. "The Tribe doesn't want any of your flea-brained stuff," she growled. "We try to be peaceful cats, and you can go stay in your territory. We'll stay in ours."

"Sorry, but it doesn't work that way," Stripes argued, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Flora. Seed and Flick stayed back, ready to shred Tribe pelts if they needed to. "We rogues don't really care about this so-called 'border' idea- we just use them for fun."

Flora placed a firm paw over the invisible line, eyes widening in mock shock. "Oops, I do apologize. Did I just cross the precious _border_?"

The younger gray she-cat unsheathed her claws. "Don't you taunt us like that!" she spat. "Or you'll meet our claws, and they're sharpened on stone often!"

The tom whisked his tail back and forth in front of the she-cats' faces. "Snow, Rain, let me handle them. This is simply a border skirmish, and-" He was cut off by a triumphant battle cry, and suddenly Stripes bolted over to him and ran his claws over his face. Sheer shrieked, and Snow and Rain burst forward to help him, but were taken down by Flora and Flick without trouble.

Blood spurted into the air and rained back down onto the cats as the assault raged on, worsening. Seed was a spare since her fellow rogues had already claimed a cat to fight. She watched, dying to scrape her teeth along Sheer, Snow, or Rain's necks- or better yet, all of them. Flora would be so proud of her if Seed could accomplish that, that she would appreciate her much more than Flick for sure.

Flick broke away from Rain for a moment when he landed a hard blow on her head, knocking her out a few heartbeats. He turned away from the bloody, limp gray body for a moment to shoot a glance at her. In that moment, Flora and Snow's ball of screeches and scratches rolled over to smack Flick in the side. He was crushed under them, and Seed literally laughed out loud, raising her tail in pure amusement.

While Flick recovered and was left gasping for breath on the ground, Seed charged at Rain, who had gotten back up and was about to attack Flick again, who had his soft belly exposed.

While Seed and Rain were tussling, Rain laughed weakly as Seed flipped her over onto her back and grazed her claws over the she-cat's stomach. "You're younger than me and more experienced in fighting. Plus, I'm a cave-guard too… ha."

"Rogues always win," Seed replied without much interest yet still ruthlessly.

Eventually she let Rain go with a few more scratches, and the speckled gray she-cat stumbled over her own paws to hide behind a boulder. Panting laboriously, Seed scanned the area to see if any of her fellow rogues needed any assistance. She doubted that they would, and sure enough none of them needed it.

Flick had limped over to the sidelines to weakly watch as he breathed heavily through his mouth, and uncertainly Seed slumped down beside him, but Flick didn't complain.

The white Tribe she-cat named Snow's pelt was drenched in scarlet, and Sheer's tabby fur was darkened with blood. They still kept on battling side by side with easily-dodged batting with unsheathed paws, and Flora and Stripes avoided them in a breeze by ducking or twisting out of the way.

Flick and Seed watched, amused. _What a kit-like way to fight, _she thought. _No, a kittypet-like way! _

It went on for a bit until finally a dark gray tom with a broad build and a thick frame padded up with narrowed amber eyes. "What is going on here?" he demanded in a deep, dreamy voice as his dark gaze slashed across the rogues. If his eyes were claws or teeth, they would be terribly injured. "I suspect there is a problem," the tom droned on, sarcastic.

Sheer looked relieved to see him. "Oh, Stormfur, thank Endless Hunting you're here- we were having a 'border skirmish' with these cats!"

Exasperatedly, Snow lashed her red stained tail. "These cats think we're weak fighters!" she growled, looking ready to fight again.

"Calm down, you two," Stormfur soothed. "Didn't I assign Rain onto this patrol too?" He was completely ignoring the rogues.

"She went to hide," Sheer informed him with a shrug.

Flora chortled and whisked her tail in Stormfur's face. "Wow, the big bossy one. You think you're going to be the next… what is it, Healer right?" She snorted. "Fat chance, buddy."

Stormfur puffed out his chest indignantly, and suddenly Seed realized something: his name sounded like a Clan name. "Storm_fur_? Are you from a Clan?" she questioned, at first not aware she said it out loud.

The muscly gray tom turned toward her, his look burning deep into Seed's, making her uncomfortable, yet she still maintained his gaze. "Not anymore I'm not," Stormfur answered proudly. "I used to be of RiverClan, but I joined the Tribe of Rushing Water to be with my true-"

"Yeah, yeah, your true love, Brook. I've heard it countless times," Stripes yapped, yawning exaggeratedly.

A snarl forcefully escaped Stormfur's lips, surprising Seed due to his somewhat calm nature so far. "You think the Tribe's so weak and ridiculous? Then how about we take this curious kit here and turn her into a cave-guard? In a few moons you can fight her and see how well we trained her," Stormfur challenged.

"Not what I expected from you," Flora sounded taken aback. "But I will take this deal. We win- which I'm sure is what will happen- we get her back and stroll in your 'territory' as we please. If you win- once again, fat chance- you get her and Flick," she meowed, flicking her tail at the brown tom.

Seed's stomach twisted. _I've never fought Flora before… and now she's just traded me in to the Tribe! _

**OoOoO**

"Here is the Cave of Rushing Water," Stormfur announced as they padded into sight of a huge waterfall, its roaring water sounds engulfing Seed's ears so that she could hardly hear herself speak. There was no cave in sight.

"Where is the cave?" she yelled, puzzled, as they got closer and closer to the waterfall.

"It's behind the waterfall," Sheer told her, rolling his shoulders as he adjusted Rain's position on his and Snow's backs. The gray she-cat had fallen unconscious from blood loss. Guilt washed over Seed when she thought of it.

The cats ducked under the waterfall, and a harsh spray of water soaked Seed's fur, and she shook it out as soon as she entered the icy cave. "It's freezing in here!" she whined, fluffing up her wet pelt to warm her, which did nothing whatsoever.

"You'll get used to it," Stormfur mumbled, nodded in approval to a patrol of cats that had arrived just behind them with a huge bird torn to chunks, dangling from different sets of jaws. Then the gray tom blinked at Sheer, Snow, and the limp Rain. "You three go to Stoneteller and get healed. I'll then tell him to summon a Tribe meeting to announce this she-cat's arrival."

Seed gulped and stared around the cave once the cats who had escorted her went to their own places. The original patrol of three slipped into a dark smaller cave in the back of the main cave, while Stormfur joined a pretty brown tabby she-cat. They watched two young apprentice-age cats play like kits, amusement and pride glittering in their eyes.

_I guess this is my home for now._

* * *

**So, what is the best for Seed- Clan, rogues, or Tribe?**


	8. The Second Delivery

**Sandtail: Yay, another reader! Thanks for the review, of course :D**

* * *

Cinderheart, the more she traveled, felt her strength wearing down rapidly. Listening to Hazeltail and Olivenose gab in front of her made her feel sick, and hearing the silence of the other queens in her condition behind her made her unhappy.

Because Birchfall launched a gory, fierce new attack, Bramblestar had pulled over to the bush and breathlessly encouraged the queens, kits, and elders to move on. He had hurriedly issued one of the least-injured cats from each Clan to go with them- Dovewing, Owlclaw, Gorsetail, and Grasspelt. Each of their medicine cats had shoved herbs in the warriors' faces then urged them on. Hopefully they wouldn't have to travel too far ahead, since separating was not something Cinderheart loved- such as separating with Lionblaze. Now they only talked to each other if they had to, which was hardly ever.

"Oof!" Cinderheart tripped over a furry lump, thinking at first that it was a moss-covered stone, but it was warm. "Sorry!" she apologized to the ginger-splotched tortoiseshell tom-kit, who was looking dazed at her paws.

"Flamekit, don't trip the queens!" his mother, Olivenose, chided. She broke off her conversation with Hazeltail to snatch up her son. The ShadowClan cat caught Cinderheart's gaze and said something muffled from under Flamekit's dirty fur.

"Hey!" a cat called from up front. "I think we should stop and take a break. Let's settle down here in this mossy clearing!" It was Gorsetail, the selfless and caring WindClan warrior. The gray-and-white she-cat bounded over to it, and Cinderheart followed her at nearly the same speed, overjoyed.

Flopping down onto a particularly cushiony spot, Cinderheart watched the rest of the cats file in with her mellow blue eyes. Icecloud's youngsters tumbled in. Bloodkit spotted a stick and his red gaze lit up instantly. He was just an innocent little kit, but he bit into the wood evilly. Icecloud rounded him up in her smooth curled tail. Cinderheart pictured her own kits, half-liar, half-her. _Half-me. _She was by now expecting them to come at any time. It was hard for her to put one paw in front of another due to worry of them coming during the journey. She figured that they would.

In total, the poor warriors were expected to look after nine fussy queens, thirteen bouncy kits, and seven grouchy elders. Sadly, Cinderheart had the time to count.

"Mama, can we play a _game_?" Antkit, Sedgewhisker's son, whined, pawing at his mother's thick-furred chest.

Sedgewhisker was attempting to sleep, so she was distant in her answer. "Think up something to play with your littermates," she mumbled, flicking her tail for a leader-like dismissal, but Antkit wasn't done talking yet.

"We don't _know _what to play, Mom. What do _you _think we should play?" Antkit was pushing it, Cinderheart decided.

"Hide-and-seek." Sedgewhisker was barely awake now.

"Okay!" Excitedly Antkit gathered his siblings in front of him. "Everyone hide, and I'll… um, seek!" He glanced around the clearing excitedly. "Any other kits can join in if you want!"

No one, however, moved from their place. Every cat in the clearing was content, comfortable, and fairly protected from the harsh winds.

Dewkit, Thistlekit, and Willowkit squealed excitedly as they scrambled away from their brother, who closed his eyes and started naming random objects in an attempt to "count".

"Moss… bracken… tree… sky… beetle! Ready or not, here I come!" Antkit announced before scrambling into the middle of the clearing, his little paws churning the moss below him as they would his mother's stomach.

Amusement made Cinderheart purr as she watched the brown tom-kit bounce around, finding each of his littermates one by one. Willowkit took the longest to find, but eventually her brothers and sister discovered her hiding behind Sunstrike, who was snoring loudly and round with kits as well as Cinderheart.

Suddenly pain pierced Cinderheart's belly. Thinking it was the claws of one of the kits, she turned only to realize that cramps were rippling over her belly. Her own kits were coming!

"Help! Help," she cried, wincing as the aches engulfed her in a dark world of discomfort and agony.

Dovewing and Gorsetail bounded over to her. Both of the she-cats' eyes were wide at seeing Cinderheart's misery. Gorsetail instinctively bounded back the way they had come to bring a medicine cat, dragging Owlclaw along with her. Meanwhile, Dovewing stood there speechless. "And I was thinking of having kits with Bumblestripe…" she mumbled.

Cinderheart growled in annoyance. Was that all she could think of right now? "It… it's always worth it in the end," she choked out before slamming her head down on the mossy ground, waiting for a medicine cat and hoping for the best.

**OoOoO**

"We're back!" Gorsetail struggled the breathe the thin mountain air as she and Owlclaw returned, two cats behind them.

Kestrelflight, the WindClan medicine cat, scrambled between the warriors and settled down next to the gray queen. His apprentice, Moorpaw, stood beside him, looking stricken.

"Oh, toughen up Moorpaw," Kestrelflight lamely assured the younger tom as he pushed a stick to Cinderheart's mouth to bite down on. "You helped me with Sedgewhisker's delivery. Besides, you'll be helping me more and more with things like this as I age." The dappled tom spoke fearlessly, moving nimbly as Moorpaw plopped down beside him, still blinking in amazement.

A loud _crunch_ pierced the air as the wood splintered between Cinderheart's teeth. "Thanks… for helping… me," she gasped to the WindClan cats.

"It's not a problem at all," Kestrelflight meowed warmly as though Cinderheart was of his own Clan. "I'm sure Moorpaw here and I will be able to help you, but just in case we can't another medicine cat is on the way. I think it's yours, actually. Now, we need to focus. I'm sure you know to push, right?"

_Well, that's a no-brainer, _Cinderheart thought as she pushed. Then she hesitated, allowing Kestrelflight's mews of encouragement and orders to Moorpaw to fetch more herbs become a faint buzz in the background as she thought. _Do I really want to let Lionblaze, a cheater, be able to meet his kits? Well, I'll be miserable forever if I never get them out of me. _She squeezed her eyes shut, bringing the WindClan medicine cat's light-toned voice back to the front of her crowded thoughts.

Moorpaw bounded back, his scent mixed with the fragrant smells of borage, poppy seeds, and thyme. "I found it all, Kestrelflight," he reported, dropping the herbs as he dipped his head to his mentor. "They were in that nearby field over there," the wiry brown apprentice nodded toward a place beyond the mossy clearing.

"Never mind that, Moorpaw," Kestrelflight muttered in reply, taking the herbs and eyeing them carefully. "I guess these are the best ones we can use for now. But this she-cat has been in labor far too long. I'm afraid it will be a long and difficult journey before the first kit comes-"

"HEY! I see a kit!" A shrill voice squealed in excitement, and Cinderheart faintly recognized Dewkit, one of Sedgewhisker's troublesome four.

"Ew, why is it all slimy and-" her brother Thistlekit started but their mother picked them up and brought them back to their nest, scolding them sharply.

Sure enough, the first of three kits was already born. Cinderheart strained to see her son or daughter, but Kestrelflight put her head back in place and murmured in her ear, "I apologize for not noticing your first-born. You can trust me from now on. I just didn't realize you've been pushing this whole time. Now, you have two more to go. Can you keep going for me?"

"Not for you," Cinderheart couldn't help but hiss as she closed her eyes again, glimpsing Honeyfern and Molepaw as they smiled and nodded at her. With her deceased siblings' encouragement, Cinderkit shouted "For Lionblaze!" and kept working until her final two kits were born.

"Two toms and a she-kit!" Kestrelflight cried as another voice entered the cries of joy and happiness.

"Medicine cat comin-" Jayfeather stopped beside the WindClan medicine cat and stared down at the three kits, realizing that the delivery had been successful without him.

Cinderheart stared at her blind medicine cat, willing for him to understand her plea. "Get Lionblaze. No matter how much I hate him, he must see his kits."

Jayfeather blinked in confusion. "You hate my brother… ? Oh well, now I'll go back and bring him here I guess."

The gray tabby medicine cat left, leaving Kestrelflight and Moorpaw crouching beside the queen once again. Kestrelflight urged some borage into Cinderheart's mouth, which she chewed and swallowed. Anything to make her kits stronger.

Three small bodies squirmed at Cinderheart's belly. She twisted to see her sons and daughter, blue eyes on the brim of pride. She imagined the way her mother and Poppyfrost had felt seeing their newborn kits. Now Cinderheart, too, could share that glee and just amazement that these new lives were really hers.

The first-born was, as suspected with most litters, the biggest. It was the she-cat, who pawed hungrily at Cinderheart's stomach. She had a beautiful solid golden pelt lacking stripes, almost just like her father.

Her younger brothers were both gray, the youngest having faint stripes showing on his pelt. _He looks just like me, _Cinderheart thought, heart swelling with love for them. The solid gray tom looked like Cinderpelt.

Cinderheart glanced up at the sky, wondering if Cinderpelt was watching her now. _You have another "clone", _the gray queen thought with a smile before returning to licking her kits thoroughly, though Kestrelflight and Moorpaw had already done a great job for her.

"So, what will you name them?" Moorpaw questioned, leaning forward slightly to watch the kits move around.

"I'll wait for their father to arrive to decide," Cinderheart mewed in reply, for a heartbeat wondering instinctively if Lionblaze was alright. Then, remembering his power, she knew that he would be uninjured. She glanced down at her kits again, wondering if one of them had inherited a possible power from Lionblaze. What if the same thing happened when Dovewing had kits?

And why did she love Lionblaze again, even if he loved Icecloud more than her all along? Was the white she-cat really going to stick with Tigerheart from now on?

"I'm here," Lionblaze panted, his broad frame barging between Kestrelflight and Moorpaw so he could see his kits. "How is my beautiful mate and… oh, Cinderheart, they're… astounding."

The golden tabby tom's amber gaze softened as he lay down next to the gray queen. "I can't believe they're really ours."

"How about names?" Cinderheart purred. Lionblaze, puzzled, glanced back up at her.

"I'm so sorry about loving Icecloud… I really couldn't choose between the two of you and she manipulated me into believing she was the better one over you. Now I know that she is just a traitor to our Clan, and that I made the biggest mistake of my life. I love you, and only you Cinderheart."

A shaky grin showed on the gray tabby's face. "I love you too, Lionblaze. I choose you," she mewed, repeating what she had said several moons ago after the end of the Dark Forest battle.

He nuzzled her and then gazed at the kits fondly. "To answer your earlier question, I think one of them should be named after-"

"Hollyleaf?" Cinderheart guessed, remembering her best friend and mate's sister who had died as a brave ThunderClan warrior at the bloody paws of Hawkfrost. "I suppose so, but none of them are black like her."

"No, Honeyfern," Lionblaze mewed simply, stroking the golden she-kit's tiny spine with his tail. She mewled loudly, seeming to appreciate the extra attention as she shoved her solid gray brother aside for more milk.

Cinderheart closed her eyes, but she only saw Molepaw, who seemed to mouth "open your eyes". She obeyed and realized that she could see the outline of her dead sister, sitting with her tail curled neatly over her paws next to Lionblaze.

Doubtful that her mate could see Honeyfern, she just whispered "thank you" to her before nodding in agreement with Lionblaze. "Yes. Let's name her Honeykit."

A steady purr rumbled from Lionblaze's throat, and the tom licked away a smudge of rogue blood he had accidentally left on Honeykit before continuing to the gray middle kit. "What about him? I think you should choose."

"No, you choose," Cinderheart objected softly, only wanting to name the last kit, who she had planned a special name for.

"Okay," Lionblaze meowed, resting a paw gently on his second-born son's back as he wriggled around with his littermates. "How about… Flintkit?"

A warm smile played at Cinderheart's lips as she nodded in approval. "Yes, I love it! The name hasn't been used in a while, plus he's just like a little piece of flint."

The mates fell silent suddenly, as they both stared at the last kit. "Do you want to name him?" Lionblaze murmured as he rasped his tongue over the youngest.

"Yes. Stonekit. My heart was like a stone before I fell in love with you. I didn't know which path to take, and back then I didn't even know Cinderpelt's spirit was within me. When she left, I felt free again. And instantly I knew where to go. The fog cleared in front of me, and I saw you." Cinderheart swallowed shakily, feeling her eyes wet.

"Stonekit," Lionblaze _mrrowed_. "Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit. My kits. _Our _kits."

News of the birth spread like wildfire through the Clans. So many cats wanted to see the newborns, eventually they had to be organized into a line that walked slowly by Cinderheart and the kits' mossy nest.

The rest of the cats had finally left the battlefield, victorious over the rogues. They certainly had taught their adversaries a lesson, but unfortunately they couldn't squeeze Seedpaw's place of captivity out of them. Despite how happy she was about her daughter and sons, Cinderheart couldn't help but wonder if her younger sister was alright, if she was even still alive.

Night settled in on the cats, and it was freezing. Cinderheart had a cold pit of fear in her belly that her kits would benumb during the night thanks to the chilling leaf-bare mountain air. All she could do was collect more moss, wrap her warm fluffy tail around them, and hope for the best.

In the middle of the night, Lionblaze moved from the toasty clump of warriors to snooze beside his mate and offspring. Cinderheart was stirred by his paws clumping against the solid frozen rock. She saw his face, adorned with a solemn expression and round amber eyes, in the darkness, and smiled.

Cats made mistakes; they were creatures of the world, and anything able to move or speak could most certainly mess up every once in a while. Lionblaze was fooled by Icecloud, and she had broken the warrior code. She had chosen a different path, one that was wrong and right at the same time. And then there was Heathertail; all those moons ago when she and Lionblaze played in the tunnels as apprentices.

Cinderheart recalled all the stories in her head as she checked her kits for life. All were still warm and vibrating with heartbeat. They would be fine after all.

They all would.

**OoOoO**

A few sunrises came and went. Soon it was morning about a quarter-moon later, and the cats hadn't made any progress concerning their journey. Even if the stone in the main clearing was like ice on their pads, the moss surrounding the perimeter was nice and thermal.

Honeykit and her brothers had yet to open their eyes and ears. They were also immobile for the time being. All they could muster up was a squeak of "Mama" in spite of being blind and deaf to the world.

On this particular day, Cinderheart was nuzzling her kits to her belly to nurse, only to hear a shrill squeal from Flintkit. "No milk!"

"I'm hungry," Stonekit complained, battering Cinderheart's tummy with his miniature paws.

Cinderheart tensed. She was dry? When was the last time she had eaten?

"Lionblaze!" she called across the clearing. In heartbeat, every single pair of eyes was trained on her. She sighed loudly. Because the gray queen was the newest mother and was with the youngest members of the group all the time, she had care with just the flick of a tail consistently.

"He's out hunting," Leafpool mewed softly as she stepped forward, licking down a tuft of white fur on her chest. "But I can help. What do you need?"

Cinderheart waited for her mate's mother to get close before she whispered urgently, "I have no milk! I'm all dried up!" She resisted the instinct to start sheathing and unsheathing her claws in case she cut one of her kits.

Leafpool frowned, and it formed deep creases on her face. Her tail lashed as she sat down, eyeing the whining youngsters. "Well, Jayfeather and Briarlight and trying to find all the herbs they can for you. He was afraid that you could lose your milk any day now. Lionblaze went out hunting so he could catch something for you. StarClan forbid you lose one of…"

"Be quiet!" Cinderheart snapped, wincing at her harshness, but she couldn't contain herself. "I- well, Cinderpelt, mentored you. You used to be a medicine cat. Can't you do anything to help so none of my babies _die_?"

"Well, I'm going to be a medicine cat again," Leafpool announced. She raised her chin, but then at seeing that Cinderheart didn't really care she sighed and curled up beside the queen and kits. "All I can provide is warmth from my body heat," the tabby meowed sorrowfully. "I'm sorry, Cinderheart."

_Bramblestar approved her being a medicine cat? Well, I suppose we need all the ones we can get during these times when the weather is ruthless. _But thoughts about Leafpool was just a black ant surrounded by innumerable red ones. "Fine," Cinderheart seethed.

The wait seemed to take moons, and it gave Cinderheart time to think. She soon grew pretty sentimental, thinking of all the memories in ThunderClan's hollow, only to have them washed away by the flood. The badger attack, births and deaths of so many cats, the Dark Forest battle… the temporary mistrust with the cats who had trained with Brokenstar, Hawkfrost, and Tigerstar.

"Sparrowflight here and I brought down a small hawk for you!" Lionblaze panted, bounding over just after nodding _thanks _to the ShadowClan warrior. All the Clans seemed to be working together again, just like they had on the first Great Journey as Cinderheart heard in stories.

Her mate collapsed next to the kits, who mewled excitedly at picking up his scent. Honeykit climbed to the top of his head, her sealed eyelids stretched so wide, it seemed as though they could pop open any heartbeat. Her brothers scrambled up after her, but they were no match for their strong first-born littermate.

Giving Stonekit a little supportive nudge, Cinderheart eyed the hawk hungrily. The bird was nearly plucked thanks to Lionblaze; and deep gashes were scored down its side where the golden tabby and Sparrowflight had dragged it to the ground. "Real Tribe food, huh?" Cinderheart mewed through hungrily mouthfuls. She felt strength flood back into her legs, and soon wanted to run like a WindClan cat through the fields.

"It's small, but I saved some for you," Cinderheart mewed softly, guiding Flintkit off his father's back as Lionblaze inclined his head to eat.

"Thanks," her mate muttered before finishing off the fresh-kill.

The kits crowded around the remains of the dead prey, sniffing it curiously. "Eww," Honeykit cried, stumbling backwards.

"Gross!" Flintkit proclaimed, swinging his head toward Stonekit. The gray tabby screwed up his face, bending to stick his muzzle in the carcass.

"It's not that bad," he squeaked calmly, shuffling back to Cinderheart's belly. "But Mother's milk is better by a long run."

Lionblaze chuckled as he watched the kits feed for a bit. Luckily a small amount of milk had come back. Once they were cuddled together in a heap of warm, soft fur, he whispered, "Honeykit and Flintkit are silly like me, but Stonekit has your sensibility and maturity. I can see he'll be a good warrior."

"Yes," Cinderheart agreed, shifting her body a bit into a more comfortable position. One of her offspring groaned in annoyance but soon was snoozing again. "Ugh, I wish I could get up for a bit without disturbing them-"

"I can fill in for a bit," Hazeltail suddenly meowed, padding up. She dipped her head solemnly. "It's the least I can do after all I made you and Icecloud do watching my two back in the nursery at… at, well, home…"

The gray queen slid back, letting the gray-and-white she-cat wrap her heated abdomen around the three. "Thanks, Hazeltail. I will return the favor someday. But for now I'd like to just take a breath." With a friendly smile to her Clanmate, she started away with a flick of her tail to Lionblaze.

**OoOoO**

"How close do you think we are to the Tribe of Rushing Water?" Cinderheart questioned.

"Oh StarClan, they better be close. But maybe going ahead of our makeshift camp a bit will give us an idea of which way-" Unexpectedly, Lionblaze stiffened, tapping his nose against a boulder that was clearly recently marked; Cinderheart sniffed as well, and she picked up the smell of cat and fear.

"Is it them?" she cried, bouncing after her mate from rock to rock.

"Yes!" Lionblaze pricked his ears, and when Cinderheart copied him she could hear the rumble of a waterfall in the distance. "But whoever patrolled around here recently is very scared. StarClan forbid those rogues are bothering them too."

_What if they have Seedpaw? But then again, why would they keep her prisoner? Unless they don't know she's a Clan cat…_

"They could have Seedpaw," Cinderheart suggested aloud, matching his long strides as they waterfall sound grew loud enough to make them flatten their ears and yell over the noise.

"Maybe they do," Lionblaze called. "Maybe they do."

**OoOoO**

The pair raced back to the crowded clearing, where cats sat in clumps either talking or napping. But at seeing the two ecstatic felines, most of the awake cats sat up and pricked their ears, prepared for a story.

Bramblestar, Rowanstar, Ashfoot, and Reedstar were all talking in a corner near where Hazeltail was resting with Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit. Cinderheart skidded to a stop by the leaders and waited for Ashfoot to finish her current thought before she got their attention.

But instead, Lionblaze did the job for her. "We found the Tribe!" he screeched.

Bramblestar spun and faced him, eyes blazing in excitement. "Really? How far are they from here?"

It all seemed to go in slow-motion; all the leaders' heads swinging to face them, the yowls of joy coming from colored blurs in the background as blended Clans bounced around, waking up comrades as they awaited the next thing to happen.

"The border marking their territory? Fox-lengths. We're only fox-lengths from it," Lionblaze proclaimed, lifting his golden tail high in the air as he looked past Bramblestar to see his three kits.

Cinderheart purred and nuzzled him, for the first time in a long while feeling safe. The Clans would finally find a stable shelter! But after that… would the lake be safe enough to go back to?

The ThunderClan leader's smile was wider than an eagle's wingspan. "Oh, this is great news! I know I can always count on you, Lionblaze, even if…" The dark tabby hesitated, glancing at Cinderheart and then Lionblaze uncertainly.

"She knows," Lionblaze assured him. "Even if the Power of Three prophecy is completed," he meowed, lowering his voice to a murmur that barely blew a cloud of vapor in the frosty air. "Our powers aren't. The Clans are stronger than ever with Jayfeather, Dovewing, and I. And who knows if anything's rubbed off into my kits' blood!"

Bramblestar nodded. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Cinderheart knew that he was thinking about the newer prophecy, involving her and her living sisters. It had been rather rushed; despite that it was more present than ever. But still, what did it mean?

"Are we going or what?" Ratscar from ShadowClan demanded. "I don't know about you, but my paws haven't moved in a while and they're getting numb!"

"To the Tribe!" a wily apprentice shouted.

"To the Tribe… to the Tribe!" More and more cats chimed in, one by one, the voices rising and swirling up to the white leaf-bare sky.

Pride pierced Cinderheart's soul. It was a sharp, satisfying pain. She and her sisters meant something. They were going to find Seedpaw again. _Even with my newborn kits, my Clan needs me. _She faced the new path ahead, spinning on her paws. _And we're going to survive._

**OoOoO**

"Who dares invade the Tribe's territory?"

"Hush, Lark. Be mature. We just came here to mark the… oh Endless Hunting, look how many cats!"

"This is why I didn't want to bring her. She's delusional. I-" Whoever was speaking stopped mid-complaint. A pair of round amber eyes flashed in surprise, looking at the Clan cats.

A light snow was falling, and the bleak air congealed Cinderheart's skin, biting through her gray tabby fur. Her neck was sore from carrying Honeykit for so long, but nevertheless she lifted her head and squinted through the suddenly steady flurry. Three cats were just ahead, so close to them.

A small pale tabby she-cat hissed threateningly and pounced forward, scowling up at Bramblestar and Rowanstar, who were at the end of the huge crowd.

"Lark! What did I tell you?" A brown tabby she-cat fought through the frozen white drops. "Ugh, this is too fierce of weather to be out in."

"What are you mouse-brains doing out here?" A thick-furred black tom shoved past his patrolmates.

"Don't you remember me?" Jayfeather flashed back, pushing to the front of the crowd, blind blue eyes glowing as they landed on the Tribe tom.

Cinderheart tensed. Her jaw screamed with pain. If there wasn't snow piled haphazardly below her- close enough to chill her belly fur- she would set Honeykit down and help defend the Clans. But instead all she could do was grumble through her daughter's creamy fur.

"Oh… it can't be!" Right away the black tom's facial expression softened, though it was still filled with the determination of protecting his home. "You're… Jay… ?"

The gray tabby medicine cat dipped his head slightly until his nose brushed the surface of the rapidly-rising snow. "Jayfeather, medicine cat of ThunderClan," he finished for the dark-furred cat. "Screech, it's great to… well, _hear _you. As you must be able to see, every single member of the Clans is here with me."

The she-cats moved forward, picking their way through the snow. The brown tabby bared her teeth. "Why would you bring the whole of your population here? Are you insane? We've been having brutal weather up here and other… problems." She and Screech exchanged anxious glances.

"The lake flooded over, despite the leaf-bare season," Bramblestar piped up, making his way to stand beside his medicine cat who he had once believed was his son. "All our camps and territories were destroyed by freezing water, at least for the time being. I don't know about any of the others, but we lost our only elder as we made our narrow escape."

Rowanstar frowned. He now was standing with the other leaders behind the ThunderClan leader and medicine cat. "We lost a few warriors."

Ashfoot sighed. "Onestar."

Reedstar squeezed his eyes shut. "An apprentice or two."

"Anyway," Bramblestar mewed sharply. "We need the Tribe's help. This is crazy of me to ask, but…" The dark tabby screwed up his handsome amber eyes against the fierce blow of snowy wind. "… could we all stay in your cave or nearby until the lake should be safe to return to?"

Cinderheart's numb paws pricked at the aspect Bramblestar just proposed. Could they really return to their so-called safe home? What would they find there? Honeykit squirmed. "Mom, when can you put me down? I'm cold!" Lionblaze and Leafpool were holding Flintkit and Stonekit respectively, and her brother's cries and pleas could be heard several fox-lengths back. What if Screech didn't accept their request for help?

"Clearly this is a large group," Screech noted. He relaxed as the pale tabby apprentice-size she-cat gazed up at him nervously. "But I'll have to consult with Stoneteller first."

Jayfeather dipped his head respectfully. "How is Stoneteller doing?"

"Oh, he's great. Just… fine," Screech muttered before flicking his tail. "Well, let's get back to the cave now, or we'll all freeze to death."

The Clans commenced to crunch through the snow at a steady pace. Cinderheart was relieved to think of finally putting Honeykit down and feeling something besides snow on her pads.

**OoOoO**

"Screech! Flight! What's going on?"

"That's definitely not prey you three have there."

The cave only shielded the cats in the front of the group from the snow, not the chilly wind. Cinderheart shuddered as she filed in with the rest of her Clanmates. The only thing that could possibly warm these Tribe cats during leaf-bare must be their body heat.

"I'll fetch Stoneteller," Screech mumbled before he took off toward the back of the cave, refusing to answer any questions thrown at him.

"Look at all the cats!" A small black she-kit squeaked indignantly as her sister, a white she-kit with pale brown stripes, shoved past. "Do you think they'll join us?"

"No, that's far too many," her sister responded, seeming to bear a bit more maturity than her littermate.

"Feather, Ice, back here this instant!" their mother, a light brown queen with round blue eyes, scowled at the Clan cats before picking up Ice in her jaws and urging Feather back with a few flicks of her tail.

Cinderheart's nose twitched as strange accented voices and odd, snowy cat-scents filled the air around her. She peeked over the heads of cats smooshed in front, back, and sides of her. She sighed sadly; this was a tiny cave, far too small to house this many felines. _What a mouse-brained idea, to bring every single member of the Clans to the Tribe, thinking they can take in all of us, _she thought scornfully, tail lashing.

She continued to glance around, blue gaze guarded, until a certain cat caught her eye.

Green eyes flashed and pale ginger fur, lightly peppered with darker specks, swished as she moved her lithe, thin body in the direction of the Clan cats. Her mouth, adorned with soft pink lips and sharp, pearly-white fangs, opened in surprise, but soon released a hot statement. "I do hope you didn't all come here to find me." Her tail lashed. "Because I'm just fine here."

It was Seedpaw.

* * *

**Do you like Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit so far? Do you have a version of kits for LionxCinder?**

**Poppyfrost next~**


	9. The Forgotten Sister

**OH-EM-GEE IT'S EH-SEEDPAW!**

* * *

Disbelief fizzed in Poppyfrost's paws the heartbeat she laid her eyes on her long-lost sister. She bounded forward toward Seedpaw, warmth spreading through her pelt. The tortoiseshell felt Cinderheart by her side as well as the rest of their family- Sorreltail, Brackenfur, and Lilypaw- not far behind.

"I can't believe it's really you!" Poppyfrost squeaked like a delighted apprentice. She rasped her tongue over the ginger cat's cheek, but was immediately shoved away by Sorreltail, whose amber eyes were wide in relief and joy as Seedpaw was consumed in licks.

"Hey, hey, bug off," Seedpaw mumbled, shying away as though her mother's saliva was poison. "And don't expect me to come back home with you all. This is my place now."

Lilypaw did a double take, parting her lips a bit before demanding, "Are you insane? Of course you can't come back home with us… the, uh, the lake… it's…"

But before she could finish, Seedpaw's glimmering green gaze flitted to Honeykit, who was gnawing on Cinderheart's unsheathed claws. "Is that _your _daughter?" she asked rather coldly for the type of inquiry it was.

"Why, yes, she is. Her name is Honeykit, after Honeyfern. I also had two little toms, Flintkit and Stonekit, who are over there," Cinderheart replied proudly, flicking her tail in the direction of Lionblaze and their sons, who were all watching curiously from a respectful distance.

"That is- is, er, great," Seedpaw mumbled, reverting to staring at her paws until Brackenfur piped up finally.

"Why did you ever leave, mouse-brain?" he growled. "You left your mother and I worried sick for many nights. Sorreltail could barely sleep," the golden-brown tabby lightly chided his daughter, eyes narrowed as he waited for an answer.

"I couldn't stay there anymore," Seedpaw replied, seeming exasperated in spite of the questioning only just starting. "I felt left out and different from every other cat. I knew that Lilypaw was the dominant littermate over me as well. She was the one with friends and the one who our mentors liked." Lilypaw's face twisted into an unreadable expression, mostly of hurt, surprise, and flattery. "I'm now another moon behind in my training, probably; who knows. But I left, going in the direction of the mountains. I came upon a group of rogues, and believe it or not, they took me in at seeing I was tough. They basically killed their own daughter to put me in her place." Poppyfrost shuddered; what cat would do something like that? She couldn't imagine murdering Cherrystem for another cat. "They made me change my name to Seed, and trained me to fight a bit with their son, Flick. I got stronger until I was able to defeat him. Eventually they announced that they were planning to attack their main enemy. That adversary turned out to be the Tribe. We battled three Tribe cats patrolling, and before I could flick my tail again they traded me off to the Tribe for a dumb old bet, as though I'm a dead mouse. So now here I am. My name is Seed now, not Seedpaw. And if I end up staying here permanently, I could be Seed that Falls From Flower or something like that."

Sorreltail collapsed onto her haunches, and sat with hunched shoulders as Seedpaw- or Seed- wrapped up her story. "I- I can't believe… you made that journey yourself, and decided to stay with unfamiliar, dangerous cats? I just… I can't even contemplate that…"

Poppyfrost could tell that their mother was noticeably broken. Brackenfur looked a bit shaken as well, probably not expecting the brutal response he received. Lilypaw was shaking a little bit, and Cinderheart's fur was raised and her nostrils flared as she ushered Honeykit back between her front paws.

Not seeming to notice the disturbance she had created among her close kin, Seedpaw turned to Lilypaw and blinked, tone mild. "What were you saying about the lake, before all that talk?"

Her sister crouched down, tabby fur spiked. "Um… it… flooded over. That's why every single member of the Clans is here. We came to the Tribe for help. So-" Her low mumble was cut into by a loud yowl that rung in the cats' ears as it bounced off the cave's towering walls.

"Oh, that's Stoneteller," Seed told them blandly, as though she introduced the family she had abandoned to new cats every day. Poppyfrost felt her fur bristle as she sensed a hint of admiration and pride in Seed's tone. _This is ridiculous! Her name is Seed_paw_, and her leader is Bramblestar, not this big brute that… tells stones? _

Stoneteller was a hefty dark gray tom with bold amber eyes that stood out on his dull frame. His pelt was smeared with mud, as were the rest of the Tribe cats (including Seed, Poppyfrost noticed as she sneaked a disdainful sniff of her sister's pelt).

The Tribe's leader padded up onto a large stone in the back of the cave. Poppyfrost, her parents, and her sisters padded forward so they could see better. Seed strode proudly at the lead, dipping her head to a few dust-caked comrades before settling down between Brackenfur and Sorreltail. Poppyfrost was hustled to sit just behind her father, Cinderheart and Honeykit shoved in adjacent to her.

"Screech has come to me with the news that- oh, Endless Hunting…" Stoneteller halted in his speaking to watch as more and more cats shuffled in. Poppyfrost felt bad for the last couple stragglers that had been forced to wait outside in the blizzard, which was still going strong, pelting balls of snow and hail that hurtled down from the sky onto the ground.

The four leaders stepped forward, confident and calm. Bramblestar's shoulder brushed Rowanstar's, while Ashfoot and Reedstar exchanged as soothing glances as they could muster. "I am Bramblestar. I have come to speak for ThunderClan. And this is Rowanstar of ShadowClan, Ashfoot of WindClan, and Reedstar of RiverClan," Bramblestar started, flicking his tail at each cat named as he spoke. "The lake that sits in the heart of Clan territory flooded despite the cold season, and destroyed our camps. We found that we had no choice but to come to the Tribe of Rushing Water for help, with the lead of a few special cats."

Poppyfrost stiffened at Bramblestar's insinuation. What if he revealed who was in this sudden prophecy? Her gaze slid from Lilypaw to Cinderheart, both of whom were wide-eyed. Seed tilted her head in confusion.

Stoneteller hemmed and hawed, and Rowanstar shook his head, muttering quietly, "Humiliating." Ashfoot gave a feeble, raspy cough and her old body shook. Reedstar shuffled his paws nervously, confidence draining.

"Well," Stoneteller finally started, slowly running his top fangs over his lower lip. "This cave cannot house as many cats as there are here now- it's far too crowded. Several of you can stay in here with us, and there is another cave nearby that a half of you all can stay in. I'm sure your lake will be fine again soon." And with that Stoneteller hopped down from the rock, trotting over to the leaders to chat with them privately.

Poppyfrost swallowed. What if she was part of the group that was forced to go to this other lonely cave?

**OoOoO**

It didn't take long for things to be decided. ThunderClan and ShadowClan would stay in the main cave, while WindClan and RiverClan traveled the short distance to sleep in the other cave. Poppyfrost was relieved to be able to stay where she was, but she was also terribly worn out.

Lark and Pine, the to-bes, were hastily told to fetch moss from the store piled up in the corner. _They're not stupid_, Poppyfrost thought as she observed the apprentice-age cats hurrying to fill in the shallow scoops in the stone. _Gathering a huge supply before the snow was a good idea for keeping warm. _

Having half of the Clans cleared out thinned the crowd majorly, and finally Poppyfrost was able to spot Berrynose and Molefoot a few fox-lengths away. She forced her legs to pump a few more strides over to her mate and son.

Once she reached them, she purred and rasped her tongue over Molefoot's cheek affectionately; she then buried her muzzle in Berrynose's soft fur.

The cream-colored tom only huffed and lashed his stub of a tail in annoyance. "Have you seen Cherrystem? I can't find her anywhere."

Poppyfrost lifted her face away from him and glanced around, now perplexed. She despised being an anxious mother just like Sorreltail always was whenever she, her sisters, and brother scurried off as kits.

"Aw, Dad, can't you worry about Cherrystem later? I want to go to sleep," Molefoot protested. Poppyfrost sighed to herself, trying to ignore him as she continued to squint from cat to cat, whether Tribe or Clan.

"You're not a kit anymore. Go find a nest yourself," Berrynose grumbled. Molefoot shrugged and padded away. Poppyfrost went on looking for her daughter, growing more desperate as she examined each pelt for ginger fur, or each gaze for those familiar amber eyes.

Suddenly, a black tom sitting in the distance shifted, and then revealed Cherrystem, who appeared to be chatting up a storm with him and having a good time.

_Why is she having fun with a Tribe cat? _Poppyfrost thought to herself. She started over toward the laughing pair, Berrynose by her side.

They reached Cherrystem and the unfamiliar cat, standing behind the black tom so that he couldn't see them. Their grown kit gave them a dirty look. _We're probably being too clingy. She might just be talking with him, for… reassurance or something. Then again… he is a Tribe cat. Even a ShadowClan tom would be better._

Berrynose took the words she was about to say straight out of her mouth. "Um, Cherrystem, what's going on here?"

Poppyfrost felt the tom stiffen. He then whipped around and stared up at Cherrystem's parents, a bit ruffled due to their sudden appearance.

"Poppyfrost, Berrynose, what a lovely surprise," Cherrystem addressed them through gritted teeth. She motioned to the tom with a nod, her smile quickly returning as though he had presented her with a huge eagle or whatever it was the Tribe cats ate. "This is Dark Shadow on Water-"

"Just call me Dark," Dark told them with a shaky grin. "I was only having a conversation with your daughter, nothing more." His amber eyes glanced past them for a heartbeat, and then he stood and dipped his head. "Nice meeting you. Sweet dreams." And with that he took off.

"You two get really annoying sometimes, you know that?" Cherrystem snapped, rising to her paws as well after one last mournful glance towards Dark. "Always barging into my life, not to mention Molefoot's. But at least I have enough of a brain to know that I am an adult cat now and don't have to depend on my parents. Now there's a cat that won't have a mate and kits." She stormed away, shoving between Poppyfrost and Berrynose.

**OoOoO**

"Should I be worried?" Poppyfrost murmured later that night.

After the scene with Cherrystem and Dark, they had collapsed, puzzled and hurt, into two lone nests close to the gaping hole at the end of the cave where cats entered and exited. The blizzard was finally starting to die down until just a chilly breeze and a few gusts of tiny snowflakes were blowing in on the befuddled couple. The fairly large cave was filled with the sound of sleeping and snoring cats. Unlike the Clans, the Tribe did not have a night watch, which only unsettled Poppyfrost the slightest.

"More like, should you be mad?" Berrynose replied, nose wrinkling as he fixed his stern blue look on her.

Poppyfrost sighed gently, reaching forward to rest her tail on his front leg. He eyed her full-length tail enviously as he waited for her reply. "I don't think we'd win the award for best parents-"

"You're saying I've been doing something wrong?" Berrynose grilled, eyes blazing in the darkness. "I may be tough, but I don't mean any harm."

"Shut up and let me speak," she mewed only half-playfully. "We're in a partnership. We are mates and we had kits together. It is both our faults that we have raised our offspring in a negative manner- it will reflect in their behavior, however, much like you see yourself in a pool of water-"

Berrynose interrupted again, stubborn as ever. "Quit with the poetic comparisons. I'm not in the mood for this." He paused. "What are you saying?"

"Get it into your aggressive little brain," she whispered urgently. "We need to learn how to let Cherrystem and Molefoot go, especially him. You see how he was a little while ago! He couldn't go to bed without you. If we ever have a second litter, we'll have to be better-"

"Second litter?" A purr rolled off of Berrynose's usually sharp tongue. "You think we can do it?"

Poppyfrost scoffed. "Of course we could! We're not too old- StarClan, my _parents_' most recent two are younger than ours." A small grin formed on her face at the thought of a couple new kits once again scurrying around her and Berrynose's paws. "I'm willing."

"Maybe when we get back to the lake?" Berrynose tilted his head. "I mean, if you think it's a good time-"

"Anytime is fine. You know how much I love kits," Poppyfrost purred. She paused, and then went on more hesitantly. "But in conclusion, we have to let Molefoot and Cherrystem do their own thing. Not ignore them completely, obviously, but just give them some space, some air to breathe. Alright?"

"Alright," Berrynose mumbled sleepily. His berry-blue eyes were now tired slits. He jutted out his head and rested his neck on her leg. "I love you."

"I love you too," Poppyfrost whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head beside his.

**OoOoO**

"_Hey there, Poppyfrost." One lone cream paw stepped out of the mist. Poppyfrost squinted and watched as two familiar blue eyes appeared one by one, full of venom and silent fury._

_ The tortoiseshell felt a rapidly growing dread as her dead sister, Honeyfern, appeared directly before her. "Um… Honeyfern?"_

_ "Why say my name as a question?" Honeyfern purred chilly, sitting down and curling her tabby tail over her paws. "We're all friends here. Sisters, even."_

_ Poppyfrost growled lightly, raising her hackles a tiny bit to show she wasn't afraid of being hostile. "What do you want? How can you even reach me when I'm in the mountains?"_

_ "The magic… of StarClan," Honeyfern replied too-sweetly. _

_ For a little while the two she-cats said nothing, just scowling at each other, the invisible electricity of anger connecting gazes of sunny yellow and blue colder than the depths of the lake back home. Then, finally, Honeyfern spoke._

_ "Interesting how they all think we're good, isn't it?"_

_ "Be quiet," Poppyfrost snapped, tail lashing. "You _still _want Berrynose even after all these moons."_

_ Honeyfern peeled back her lips like a savage dog. "Well, why wouldn't I? He was mine first."_

_ Poppyfrost sighed, leaning back from her sister's bared fangs. "Look, I know you loved him. He loved you, more than anything in the world. And I know I can never be a replacement for the love you two shared. But now he is _my _mate, and his kits are _my _kits. That's how it is now. When I first was expecting his kits, I tried to speak to you, but it was no use. I tried, to no avail. Even if Berrynose doesn't love me as much, I'm fine with that."_

_ "No matter how idiotic he is for immediately going to you after my death, that doesn't mean-" Suddenly Honeyfern paused, an evil realization appearing in her look. "You two are thinking of having some more kits, hm?"_

_ The other she-cat's heart fell. "You wouldn't…" Was it possible for Honeyfern to prevent them from having kits? Or, if they did, would she kill them, or steal them, or…_

_ Honeyfern shook herself, releasing a spray of spiritual stars that showered onto Poppyfrost's pelt, therefore drenching her in the sweet scent of her sibling. She wrinkled her nose._

_ "Not even you can be that cruel, that… that nasty, that… mean," Poppyfrost cried._

_ "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Honeyfern answered. "That's what you'll know for now, mate-stealer."_

**OoOoO**

"Mother."

Poppyfrost forced open one eyelid, which was crusty from sleep. She stared straight into the amber eyes of her son.

Molefoot scowled at her. "I kept prodding Berrynose but he would not wake up and kept mumbling, 'go away'. So can I take my morning walk with you instead?"

It took Poppyfrost a few heartbeats to remember how her mate and Molefoot always took a stroll each morning back in the lake. _He wants to start that routine here? Great StarClan, this isn't our home! _She sat up without answering at first and glanced outside. A light snow was falling down, covering all the scenery with a light white powder. "Are you sure?" she asked softly. "Honey, your pads could get numb-" She stopped herself from going any further and stiffly licked her chest, which had ruffled from her effort of not worrying about her first-born kit. "No, thanks. You can go alone if you want, but… stick close." Poppyfrost left it at that and then rose to all fours and trotted past a dumbfounded Molefoot.

She made herself take several more long strides across the cave before she turned around. Molefoot was still blinking a lot, confusion clouding his gaze, until he finally gave in and left the cave, disappearing into the pale mist. _Be safe. _Poppyfrost could hardly believe what she had just done. This time a moon ago she would never have imagined this situation, especially in the setting they were in. _I _have _to let go_, she thought determinedly. _Even with the small things, like his walk._

It was a bit past dawn- Poppyfrost was surprised that she had been allowed to sleep in late. Didn't the Tribe need more help with all the extra mouths it had to feed, especially in this season? All the cats milling about her confirmed her suspicions about the amount of hungry felines- she even was able to pick out a few WindClan and RiverClan cats who had most likely traveled back from their cave. She shuddered at the thought of toting tiny kits over there in the blizzard that engulfed the prior night.

The warrior practically swam through the thickening crowd as more cats awoke and added to the chaos. She eventually came upon Squirrelflight and Leafpool who were walking but not speaking together. The ginger deputy was nodding to some Tribe cats she probably knew from her previous journeys here, while Leafpool had her head hanging low like an ashamed dog.

"Do you need any help?" Poppyfrost asked the sisters, sliding in next to Leafpool.

The tabby shrugged. Squirrelflight swung her broad head around toward Poppyfrost with a twisted expression. "I have no idea what we're all supposed to do. I suppose a leader of some sort will address everyone at some point," she called helplessly.

But by the time the ThunderClan second-in-command was on her second statement, Poppyfrost had lost interest. She froze in her tracks, allowing Leafpool and Squirrelflight to pad on. Her yellow gaze was now filled with malice as it bore down on Cherrystem and Dark, who were once again hitting it off in a particularly dark corner of the cave. But the tortoiseshell-and-white queen was able to spot them. Poppyfrost snarled quietly as she observed the prey-hunter swat her daughter's ear playfully. The laugh that tumbled out from Cherrystem's well-shaped jaws was of something Poppyfrost only knew from experiences of her own. She herself only laughed like that when Berrynose cracked a truly funny joke; Cherrystem was laughing a laugh of love.

And it broke Poppyfrost's heart.

**OoOoO**

Stoneteller's massive frame slipped into the back caves. Poppyfrost glared after him, still annoyed after seeing Cherrystem and Dark earlier that morning.

The Tribe healer had finally materialized from his hiding place to order the cats around. A cat named Gray and the former warrior Stormfur, who appeared to be the best of their respective ranks- prey-hunter and cave-guard- were told to organize some patrols mixed with Clan and Tribe.

Poppyfrost and Berrynose shouldered their way to the heart of the group that was sticking to Stormfur and Gray as though they were slathered in honey. She was still wondering how to tell Berrynose that their daughter was clearly in love with this Dark. _He certainly wouldn't take it well, _Poppyfrost thought as she stood on her toes to examine the two toms assigning cats to places. _I think I should wait. Or will I regret this later? _

She pushed that dilemma out of her mind, however, as she spotted Gray point to her with a mud-streaked tail. "Tortoiseshell she-cat toward the middle, with the yellow eyes! Go with… um…" He paused, blue eyes flashing from feline to feline. "How about Dark here and the gray she-cat a bit to your left… what's your name? Dewfall? You three can hunt. Alright, now…" Poppyfrost stiffened. She whipped around and found herself staring into Dark's mesmerizing amber eyes. She shook herself and stood, flicking her tail at him and the ShadowClan she-cat, Dewfall, absently, before padding to the front of the cave.

The stone towered high over the cats' heads. It wasn't smooth inside at all- in fact, far from it. Countless rocky ledges were stacked by nature all the way up to the ceiling- it was like a giant medicine den. Poppyfrost tried to take in her surroundings rather than think about hunting with Dark. _Just act like he's any old Tribe cat. Really, it's not like he's Cherrystem's mate or anything… _She turned to the black tom as he and Dewfall caught up to her. Poppyfrost attempted flashing her best smile at him and proceeded forward, only to trip and fall hard on her muzzle.

She snarled and lifted her head, a bit dizzy. Poppyfrost felt a small trickle of blood slide down from her nose to her lips. The tortoiseshell spat it out of her mouth angrily and offered a hot glare to Smokykit and Larchkit, who were messing around together, still as independent as they ever were before the arrival of Icecloud and Cinderheart's litters.

"Sorry!" Hazeltail called out sincerely before rushing after her rambunctious sons.

Poppyfrost sucked in her cheeks and gazed at Dark unblinkingly as though it was his fault for her minor injury. "Um, you might want to get that checked out…" Dark mumbled, shuffling his paws on the stone. Poppyfrost could tell he was uncomfortable with her staring at him, but she didn't mind.

"I think I'll be fine," she forced a purr and then rammed her head outside into the snowy world.

**OoOoO**

Snow flurries blurred Poppyfrost's vision as she blundered blindly through the whiteness. Dewfall and Dark trekked wordlessly behind her, paws crunching in the frozen water. Finally, Poppyfrost stopped and thrust her muzzle in the air in a desperate search for prey.

Dewfall growled in annoyance as she picked her way up to the ThunderClan tortoiseshell. "Who are we kidding? How are us Clan cats expected to find prey in this weather? Only the Tribe cats can do that." She lashed her tail as Poppyfrost turned toward her with a faint nod of agreement. "It's freezing cold. My pads have been numb ever since we entered the mountains. I'm just glad that I'm not in WindClan or RiverClan- imagine sleeping in some creepy, chilly, previously unoccupied cave. It's just not right. Hopefully the lake will be alright soon."

"Alright?" Poppyfrost blinked and glanced back at Dark for a split heartbeat to make sure he wasn't overhearing this. The black tom had halted a few paces back and appeared to be engrossed with something on the ground; he pawed away at the snow piled up there furiously. Poppyfrost returned to the ShadowClan warrior. "What do you mean by alright?"

"You know…" Dewfall lifted one front paw off the ground and licked it tenderly. "If the flood stops. Like… the water goes back into the lake, or sinks into the ground… I mean, surely everything can't be soaking in water forever."

Poppyfrost tilted her head in interest. "You do have a point-"

"Hey, you two!" Dark called. Poppyfrost and Dewfall sighed in unison and footslogged back over to where the mountain cat was digging at an opening to a tunnel for a small animal. "I think I've found a mouse burrow- fresh and full of 'em." He stuffed his nose into the hole and breathed in deep. "Yes, there's definitely some here."

Dewfall glared. "How are we supposed to get them, may I ask?"

Dark shrugged as though he hunted in this weather every day. _Well… maybe he does. _"Simple. There's actually a few ways- either we all start scraping at this to expand it enough for one of us to fit in, or…" He shuffled a bit farther down the white land, muzzle pressed to the ground through the snow. "We cave in random spots within the burrow to see if we can get anything." Dark prodded a particularly saggy area and licked his chops. "Now, what will it be? We have a lot of cats to feed."

_Why does he have to take charge? He isn't the leader here. _Poppyfrost stepped forward, almost knocking over Dark as she peered into the hole herself. "How about D-"

"Dewfall, you go try to find the other entrance to this tunnel, if any," Dark interrupted blatantly. The gray she-cat turned and ran off into the distance, muzzle pressed to the ground through the snow. He glanced at Poppyfrost with a friendly shrug. "And… you and I try to dig at the hole here? Is that what you were going to say?"

"No, but… oh well," Poppyfrost seethed. She planted her claws into the half-frozen earth and pulled, only to let out a screech of pain.

"What?" Dark demanded, shoulders swiveling roughly against the thickening snowstorm. Poppyfrost, through her daze of pain, was surprised to see how far the black tom had gotten in just a few heartbeats; his half of the hole was torn into miniscule little shreds of earth decorated with a layer of frost.

Poppyfrost lifted her paw gingerly to her face, and swallowed a gasp. In her effort to take out a few chunks of earth, she had broken one of her claws! Dark blinked hard and carefully poked at it with his intact talons, but instinctively Poppyfrost hissed and pulled away.

"Two injuries in one run, huh?" Dark sighed and just like that, returned to his work. "Go ahead back to the cave; Stoneteller should heal you in no time."

"Or an actual _medicine cat_," Poppyfrost huffed and turned-tail, limping through the snow. She shuddered as sizeable balls of hail pelted her. _I have no idea where I'm even going! _The tortoiseshell warrior realized this the moment Dark was out of her sight when she glanced back.

"Need help?" Through the sleet Poppyfrost glimpsed another patrol of three making their way towards her. She recognized Starlingwing, the ginger warrior from ShadowClan, and a dark brown tabby tom and white she-cat who were most likely both from the Tribe since she could not place their names.

Poppyfrost limped closer to them and nodded reluctantly. "Yes. I twisted one claw and split another while digging into a mouse burrow."

Starlingwing's ears perked up. "Mice, you say? They may not be frogs, but that's certainly better than the dead bird carcasses I was picking at before."

The white she-cat snorted and stepped forward, leaning down to give Poppyfrost a supporting shoulder. "Hey there. We'll help you back. I'm Snow, and that's Sheer," she mewed in a friendly but brisk tone at the sight of the blood spurting in small squirts from the ThunderClan cat's paw. "So which one of these 'Clans' are you from?"

"ThunderClan," Poppyfrost grunted as Sheer slid his right shoulder under her front left leg. "And I'm Poppyfrost."

Sheer nodded quietly; Poppyfrost noticed that he seemed to have a sullen nature about him. "What's his problem?" she whispered into Snow's ear. Luckily the tabby tom wouldn't be able to hear them speaking over the hail beating down on their pelts.

"Oh, Sheer? Everybody hates to talk about it, but… well, his first mate, Night, and their newborn kits disappeared one night quite a few moons ago. There's no trace of where they went, not even a scent trail, no enemy odors, zip. Since then he's taken a new partner, Moss, and she has two daughters with him just like the two she-kits he had with Night. He loves Moss plenty, but we can all tell how much he misses Night, Whisper, and Finch."

Poppyfrost nodded as she compared Sheer's life to hers, or more so her mate's. _Berrynose lost Honeyfern suddenly, but he knew she traveled safely to StarClan. At least now he has me, and our kits… but imagine if Honeyfern had been expecting or already had his kits. They'd all be heartbroken._ But also the thought that a queen and her offspring had randomly disappeared weren't very comforting. Poppyfrost was just grateful that her two were fully grown.

"Almost there," Snow groaned. "Whew, this weather is nearly unbearable. This is the worst ever within my lifetime."

**OoOoO**

A blast of warm air greeted Poppyfrost, Snow, and the toms as they stepped into the cave. Two small kits came scrambling over to Sheer, and he carefully disconnected from Snow and Poppyfrost to greet them half-heartedly. Snow continued to guide Poppyfrost expertly through the crowd of meandering cats until they reached the back caves. "Can you take it by yourself from here?" Snow asked, already starting to remove her shoulder from Poppyfrost's underarm.

"I suppose so," Poppyfrost replied kindly, lifting her injured paw off the cold stone. "Thanks."

"Anytime!" Snow called over her shoulder before bouncing off, her white pelt melding into the mottled fur colors.

Poppyfrost turned and faced the eerie rear caves and gulped. _You've been around for seasons, Poppyfrost. These caves are nothing. _She rested her eyelids atop her yellow irises and hopped into the darkness.

**OoOoO**

"Who is it?" Stoneteller growled softly as he lifted his gaze away from a pool he had been gazing into. _What's so fascinating about a pool? _

Cold air seeped deep into Poppyfrost's skin, and a shiver scampered down her spine as she ventured closer to the healer. Innumerable pointed stones jutted out of the ground or ceiling like the fangs of a vicious badger. They appeared as jagged shadows that seemed to close in on Poppyfrost, who tried her best not to squeal.

"Um, Poppyfrost. I'm from ThunderClan. I have an injury."

"Come closer," Stoneteller mumbled absently. He beckoned to her with a couple swift flicks of the tail.

Poppyfrost edged a bit nearer to the dark gray tom, who had the sleekness of a young cat but behaved as though he were old and wise. "It's two of my claws. I tried to dig and-"

"Hush." Stoneteller glanced at her disfigured paw, muttered a few things, then turned back to the pool. He stared into it before finally going into a cave even farther back from this one. _Such a waste of space. So many cats could sleep in here, but instead just one cat gets it all to himself, _Poppyfrost thought scornfully as Stoneteller reappeared from his herb store with several wads of shriveled herbs crammed into his jaws. He placed them on the ground and motioned for her to show her paw again. "Poultice of… yes, and… then… "

Before long Poppyfrost's paw was slick with a poultice that reeked of a bitter, putridly sour odor that made her gag. Stoneteller completed the heavy bandage with a dry leaf wrapped around the wet fur. _How is this going to help my claw? _

"Return later for me to redress the wound. Soon your broken claw shall be mended back together within no time."

Poppyfrost turned to leave when she heard a gasp erupt from the lowest parts of Stoneteller's lungs. She spun back around with a cringe as she readjusted the fragrant herb on her paw. "What is it?" she mumbled around the leaf.

"It's… it's…" Stoneteller's eyelids fluttered as though he were waking from a deep sleep. He leaned in closer to his oh-so-special pool. "An omen." His amber gaze flashed to Poppyfrost urgently. "About the Clans."

"What?" Poppyfrost growled, repeating part of her question from a few moments ago. She stumbled over to the tomcat, almost collapsing on top of him as she finally found her balance beside him at the shimmery water resting in a shallow scoop in the stone.

"_A breeze will rustle through the ivy. The bumble bee will rouse the dove from its dreams. A new destiny has come._" Stoneteller murmured this in awe, eyes glistening.

"How do you know this has anything to do with the Clans?" Poppyfrost demanded. The specific objects named weren't making many connections in her head.

Stoneteller smiled a bit and shuffled even closer to the pool, bending down until his muzzle practically touched the water. "Don't you see? Those two faces belong to no cats of mine."

Poppyfrost craned her neck to see over his broad shoulders. She drew in a sharp breath. _The prophecy for my sisters and I is over. A new destiny has come. _

The familiar muzzles started to fade first; then the ears of each cat; after that went the whiskers, the neckline, all the fur until only two pairs of blue eyes remained. Four vibrant, glowing blue eyes.

* * *

**Which two cats do you think they are?**


	10. The Fight

**Dappletail (guest): Dumble is only the best ;)**

* * *

Lilypaw plucked up a still-warm mouse from the huge pile at the front of the cave . Blistery winds slammed against her as she scrambled to get away from the yawning entrance. She could barely see anything outside; it was all just a blur of snow and sleet.

The dark tabby was relieved to finally have something to eat. Every cat had waited far too long- then again, it was amazing that only that nice tom Dark and some ShadowClan cat were able to bring this load back. Apparently they had struck gold when the Tribe tom came upon the burrow. They managed to snatch up hundreds of full-grown and baby mice from within the frozen earth, all fresh and juicy.

Lilypaw slunk around, dodging cats with no challenge at all. She kept her head and tail low in an effort to keep Seedpaw, or _Seed_- Lilypaw scoffed at even the mention of this new name- from seeing her. The ginger apprentice had clearly been happy ever since she left ThunderClan, and Lilypaw knew it was because of her. _Now she wants to be around me all the time. But that's only because she wants me to think the opposite of the truth._

She found Cinderheart and Lionblaze with their kits among the mess. The new family was sheltered under a small overhang close to the ground, huddled in the corner where they were somehow able to keep Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit contained. Well, more so the first two Lilypaw noticed as she approached closer to them. The sophisticated gray tabby was sitting at his mother's paws, allowing her to give him a thorough washing on his head. However, the little runt didn't seem to mind at all; Lilypaw thought she even saw his little body quivering with delight.

"Hey there, Lilypaw!" Lionblaze greeted warmly. Honeykit and Flintkit scattered and spun around every which way before bouncing up to her. Quickly they backed away, however, at seeing the mouse.

"Aw, not that stuff!" Flintkit whined, diving under his father. His brother wriggled away from Cinderheart and calmly padded over to investigate.

"I still cannot determine why you despise fresh-kill. We won't have Cinderheart's milk forever," Stonekit pointed out reasonably. Lilypaw set the mouse down and started to dig in willingly knowing that the mates had already had a plump mouse of their own.

"Well, for now mother's milk is what we have, and that's what I like," Honeykit retorted. "Speaking of milk… ?" She glanced at Cinderheart hopefully.

"You'll suck it all away before you're two moons old," their mother remarked jokingly before laying down to allow her offspring to suckle.

Lionblaze purred in amusement and shifted to let Flintkit dash to his siblings. Then he turned and faced Lilypaw with a grim expression. "Not to worry you, but I've been concerned lately." His amber gaze slid from his mate and kits to the tabby apprentice.

"What, about Seed? Trust me, she's fine here. Just fine," Lilypaw mumbled steamily between mouthfuls. She shuddered in pleasure as her stomach was filled.

"This isn't right, Lilypaw. Cinderheart won't hear any of this around the kits, but she's around the kits all the time." Lionblaze looked desperate. "This isn't right. The weather will only grow worse, and have you heard about that queen and her kits who were stolen a few moons ago? Who knows who's next." The golden tabby pinned his eyes shut, and Lilypaw tilted her head, curiosity filling her as well as the delectable meat.

"The apprentices are missing their training. Food is scarce; these mice caught here were just something lucky. Kits will continue to grow up thinking this is their home. I heard that several cats almost died during the journey here… someone could _actually _die if we ever go back."

Lilypaw polished off her meal, lapping every last piece out from between her claws. "What are you saying?"

Lionblaze looked alarmed as he realized that his kits were finishing their feeding. "I'm saying… I'm saying that some cats should head back towards the lake and check-"

"Check what?" Lilypaw asked.

"Check… check to see if the flood is, I don't know, _gone_. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Cinderheart moved forward to sit beside her mate. "What are you two talking about?" Honeykit and Flintkit were squabbling just behind her, and Stonekit was walking towards the older cats, ears pricked. They would definitely overhear now.

"Just… how proud I am of our kits," Lionblaze lied smoothly, running his tongue across Cinderheart's cheek in a swift motion. Lilypaw smirked at him for fibbing to her sister; at least it was a minor lie this time.

"Oh, Lionblaze, you know how impolite it is to brag, even to family," Cinderheart chuckled as she twined her tail tightly with his. "Must I educate you about this when you're an adult warrior?"

Lionblaze disentangled his tail from hers and now draped it over her shoulders. "No, of course you don't have to." He turned to Lilypaw and winked. "Sorry, Lilypaw."

Lilypaw gave one last wave to the couple with her tail and commenced to pad away, looking to see if she was needed anywhere.

To be honest, Lilypaw didn't mind the Tribe's cavern so much; however, she wasn't too fond of the weather outside. She despised the cold; the tabby failed to remember time and time again the last time her pads and nose were warm.

_I thought I was part of a prophecy… but nothing really happened. _Lilypaw sighed and sat down in her nest from the night before, crammed among other large tufts of moss and crunchy, dead grass. _I bet Seedpaw messed it up by leaving. _Her claws flexed again at the thought of her sister, jubilant as can be up here with the Tribe cats. She had ran away from ThunderClan because she felt like she didn't have a secure place there. She had ran away because of Lilypaw. _It's all my fault… _Cascades of tears slid from Lilypaw's eyes… or was it her imagination? _I need to go apologize to her. She's my sister, after all. _

**OoOoO**

Lilypaw found her littermate nestled among a cluster of Clan apprentices and a Tribe to-be, Pine.

"… so one day Pine and I were out with Stormfur, and you wouldn't believe this, but Pine slipped and started sliding down the mountain out of control. Everything was slick with ice at this point, and while Stormfur started screaming for help, I took action and chased after him." Seed's green eyes flashed to Pine. "Right? Didn't that happen?"

The light brown tom kept his tail low and nodded solemnly, though a grin was still clear on his face.

Lilypaw moved closer and hid out in the back of the crowd, prepared to appear at any time. _But… Seedpaw should finish her story first. I can't believe that she's only been here a quarter-moon or so and is already the life of the party! _

"Somehow I managed to keep a grip on the slippery stuff, and I scrambled down the mountains after Pine. Eventually I caught up to him by controlling my speed to make my descent firm and efficient. I grabbed his scruff and hauled him back up to the slope, where Stormfur gratefully welcomed us with open paws!"

The dark tabby recognized two RiverClan and two WindClan apprentices who had probably returned from their detached cave with some warriors. Snowpaw and Dewpaw were also cheering on their former Clanmate, both pairs of amber eyes glittering with admiration. "Hey, excuse me," Lilypaw muttered to them, and they nodded politely and stepped to the side.

It didn't take long at all for Lilypaw to reach the front of Seed's itty-bitty audience. "Oh, h- hello, Lilypaw," Seed greeted her sibling with a quivering voice weaker than a leader losing their last life.

"Could I speak to you, please?" Lilypaw asked swiftly. She felt uncomfortable with all the cats her age staring at her. _I don't have a second tail. They don't have to gaze at me like that. _

"Um, be my guest," Seed offered, regaining her boldness partially. She waved her tail and moved to the side, making a place for her sister next to her.

"I'd prefer our discussion to not be a source of entertainment for a bunch of apprentices," Lilypaw growled, growing a bit agitated. She whipped her head around and pierced the other felines with an annoyed look.

Seed sighed. "Fine, then. Follow me." She rose to her paws and padded confidently toward the cavern exit.

Lilypaw caught up to her, calming down a bit now that it was just her and her sister. "Why are you heading outside? It's-" Seed and Lilypaw froze just before their paws could hit the snow. The dark tabby's eyes were wide in awe, while her sister chuckled.

"You didn't notice?"

The sun towered, huge and intimidating, over the mountain tops that rose from the horizon like spiked fur. Its heat burned down on the snow, which was melting rapidly. Without the hail, there was nothing more to power it. It was late in the day, but it looked like morning.

"How about we talk a walk?" Seed suggested, calmer than stagnant water in a pond.

"I guess so…" Lilypaw mumbled. "Is it alright for us to go alone?"

"As long as we don't stray too far," her sister assured her. "Come on! I have some… some things to say too." Seed's voice faded with each word. Quietly the littermates strode out of the cave, leaving the congested area behind them.

**OoOoO**

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Seed meowed, sitting down a large, flat boulder that appeared to have eroded over time.

Lilypaw swallowed and carefully took her place on a more bumpy rock across from her sister's. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Seed looked taken aback. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"You know what I'm sorry for," Lilypaw growled. "I'm sorry for everything that happened back in the stone hollow. After that morning when I woke you and the other apprentices up for the third time, and you were told that you weren't doing so well in your training, I, I just… I thought we weren't getting along so well. But maybe I neglected you a bit. I mean, Honeyfern came to me and-"

Seed's nostrils flared the heartbeat their late sibling's name touched the chilly air. Her tail stuck out straight behind her, as though it were frozen in place that way. "Honeyfern? She's been coming to me every night. What did she say to you?"

"She said you weren't ready to talk or something like that. I haven't heard from her since we had to evacuate the camp."

Seed gaped. "The first time she came to me, it was when you were trying to talk to me. I ignored you because Honeyfern told me to." She stood and scraped her claws along the rock, leaving actual marks in the hard material. "I can't believe this; Honeyfern was trying to drive us apart!"

"I wonder if she's trying to do the same thing with Poppyfrost and Cinderheart?" Lilypaw wondered aloud as the thought of the older two sisters popped into her head.

A snarl erupted from Seed's throat. "She's jealous because she's the only sister who didn't live. Molepaw makes no difference because, well, he was the only tom. But Honeyfern didn't survive to start families like Poppyfrost and Cinderheart! She didn't live with a sister she was close to because Poppyfrost and Cinderheart usually stuck together, like you and I used to before all this started."

Lilypaw couldn't believe it. "So… what do we do?" Fear tugged at her heart, making it beat faster. Honeyfern's chilling words and her gentle prods to sleep from a few moons ago were stained in the tabby's memory. She realized another thing Honeyfern had been left out of. "The prophecy…" she whispered.

"Prophecy?" Seed had been stalking back and forth in front of her boulder, eyes blazing. Now, however, she had halted and was staring at Lilypaw curiously. "What prophecy?"

"_A seed will be planted and lilies and poppies will sprout; but can the cinder ashes save them all from the storm that approaches?_" Lilypaw recalled the night when Bramblestar interrupted her sleep to inform her about this prophecy he had received from Honeyfern. _But why would _she _be the one who gives it to him when she's trying to start a rivalry between us sisters? _

Seed was astounded. "Great StarClan!" Lilypaw was warmed to hear her sibling use a Clan name. "This whole time I was in a prophecy! All four of us were! It sounds like Cinderheart has to save you, Poppyfrost, and I."

Lilypaw shrugged. "Bramblestar woke me up one night while we were traveling up the mountains. Apparently he received it from Honeyfern." Just then, a cold realization hit her as soon as she finished speaking, but Seed formed her thoughts into words first.

"It's a fake." Seed glanced at Lilypaw. "Before we figured out that fox-dung's intentions, you all thought it was real. And I did too, but not for long."

Lilypaw was heartbroken. "So we were never special after all? How can I tell Bramblestar, and the others?"

"We'll tell 'em somehow." Seed sighed and shook her head. "So there was no prophecy from StarClan for the Clans coming to the mountains. Nature just took its course and the lake flooded with no intentions of our ancestors."

Lilypaw leaped to her paws, ears flattened in anger. "Well then, let's go tell everybody!" Seed nodded curtly in agreement. Then, tails kinked over their backs, the sisters returned to the cave.

**OoOoO**

Poppyfrost was hopping on three paws over to Lilypaw and Seed as they reentered the cave. The sun's short-lived shine was now fading away like dawn fog, and dark was setting it. It was the Clans' second night sleeping in the Tribe's cave. _It can't be like this forever. _

"You two have to come with me!" the tortoiseshell gasped, barely able to catch herself from falling on top of her younger sisters.

"What happened to your paw?" Lilypaw mewed, nodding her muzzle in direction of Poppyfrost's front paw, which was slathered in a sour-smelling poultice and reinforced with a crackly, dry leaf.

"No time to explain yet. Just come with me!" Poppyfrost ordered urgently. She steered them clumsily toward the small overhang where Lilypaw had talked with Lionblaze earlier. Now, however, he and the kits had cleared out and left only Cinderheart, who was sitting hunched under the gaping hole.

Poppyfrost reached the area first and sprawled on a nest. Lilypaw and Seed sat down tentatively, careful not to destroy any nearby bedding.

Cinderheart's blue eyes were swimming with sadness as she faced the two apprentices. "I'm afraid to say this, but… our prophecy's over."

Seed opened her mouth to speak, but Poppyfrost interrupted her. "Oh, we never told her about it-"

"No, Lilypaw told me," Seed verified. "The thing is, the prophecy isn't true. It never happened. It never was an omen of any kind. Here are the clues:

"First off, Bramblestar received the prophecy, not Jayfeather. Usually a medicine cat gets omens rather than leaders.

"Second, Honeyfern was the cat to give him the prophecy. She has been working against Lilypaw and I to drive us apart. I don't know what she's been doing to you two.

"Third, we didn't have any powers. We didn't miraculously survive a disease, rescue a kit. We didn't save or do _anything _special. Therefore, this so-called 'prophecy' was a bust."

Poppyfrost nudged her injured paw, yellow eyes wide. "While Stoneteller was tending to my paw, he saw something in his pool. He saw…" She glanced at Cinderheart.

The gray tabby leaned forward. "He, well, they both saw the faces of Dovewing and Ivypool."

"Huh?" Lilypaw inquired. "What's so special about them?"

Cinderheart glanced at her paws. The other three stared at her. A feeling started to creep up on Lilypaw that the new queen knew something they didn't.

"Um, nothing… that I know of," Cinderheart answered hurriedly.

"So this was all for nothing," Poppyfrost flung her head side to side in disapproval. "And as for Honeyfern, well…" A faintly audible snarl made her lips draw back.

Devastation hit Lilypaw hard. How could this have happened? How could it all have just been nothing? She felt worthless, and there was no doubt her sisters felt the same.

Why did Honeyfern do this?

**OoOoO**

_Lilypaw knew she was in a dream when small stars sprung from her paws each time she took a step in the grassy field she had woken up in._

_ She lifted her head and raked her eyes over her surroundings. _I must be in StarClan. _All of a sudden, Lilypaw felt the friction of her pelt against another. She met the green gaze of Seed, who seemed just as puzzled as her._

_ Then Cinderheart caught up to them, and finally Poppyfrost, who admired her healthy front paw in relief._

_ "There you are." Lilypaw drew back as Honeyfern's breath smacked against her nose as though Sorreltail were giving her a light, scolding tap from when she was a kit. "I got all four of you right here before me."_

_ Poppyfrost leaped forward, shielding her sisters from the chilling tabby. "If you must take one of us, let it be me." She ducked her head, eyes closed as pain came off her pelt in waves. "I'm the least important anyway."_

_ A mocking laugh tumbled out from Honeyfern's well-shaped jaws. Why did she have to be so mean? "_You're _the least important?" She snorted. "Keep talking, Poppybrain."_

_ Cinderheart pushed past the tortoiseshell, her attractive blue eyes glimmering with malice. "You've fooled us all, Honeyfern. You could at least leave us alone now, and not invade our personal lives."_

_ Honeyfern shook her head and rose to her paws from her sitting position, bearing a smirk tainted with malignance that ruined her commonly soft and kind face. "I have risen to a great power in StarClan, sisters," she purred. "And I'm not about to back down."_

_ Seed thrust herself forward between Poppyfrost and Cinderheart, leaving Lilypaw as the only one cowering back. "I would like to know how you got past Firestar and all those legendary StarClan cats that aren't crowfood like you," she spat._

_ "I have my ways," Honeyfern replied, voice tinged with frost. "They all gave me sympathy when I died. Did you know how easy it is to collect the power of idiotic cats who compliment you? I managed to convince them to devise a faux prophecy for me; in turn I gave it to Bramblestar." A growl thicker than blood left her lips, and the barren field the five she-cats were in shook as Honeyfern buried her claws in the earth, anger radiating off her light brown fur like the steady thrum of rain. "That was the only flaw in the plan. It should have gone to Jayfeather, or even Briarlight- Bramblestar is too stupid to even realize how dangerous it can be to reveal a prophecy so soon." Her tail lashed. "Medicine cats are clearly wiser."_

_ Poppyfrost flattened her ears and spat. "I know why you did this, Honeyfern." The dappled queen swiveled and addressed her littermate and younger siblings haughtily. "I know why she did this. And I'm going to tell you all."_

_ Lilypaw felt cold claws of dread and fear grip her belly as Honeyfern approached Poppyfrost from behind. Seed hunkered down on the ground, eyes wide, and Cinderheart tried to speak, but Poppyfrost cut in._

_ "It's Berrynose. Ever since he and I became mates, Honeyfern has sought revenge on me. But by the time he and I had kits, her fury increased, and she planned to take all her held-in emotions out on _us_. But now I will end this, once and for all-" _

_ A paw, adorned with five rose-thorn-sharp claws slammed down onto Poppyfrost's throat, bowling the tortoiseshell cat over and choking her from saying anymore._

_ "Berrynose is out of the question now, sweetheart," Honeyfern purred. Her voice was growing strangely deeper; Lilypaw exchanged terrified glances with Cinderheart and Seed. Just by talking, Honeyfern now proved how fearsome she was. _Even stronger than Tigerstar, perhaps? _Lilypaw wondered. "I want you all _dead_. Not living, not suffering, _dead_. I want none of you to ever feel your paws on earth again. To never feel the joy of seeing your mate and kits each day." The tabby leaned down and snarled in Poppyfrost's ear, "The hiding is over now. No longer will I fake liking you to the others." She lifted her head and stared unblinkingly at Cinderheart, Lilypaw, and Seed. "I have already cast a spell on some loved cats- one for each of you fox-hearted fools. Now I suggest you scram, before I kill you now. Your time will come."_

_ Honeyfern removed her paw from Poppyfrost's neck; the mottled she-cat sputtered and gasped; she had to fill her lungs with air several times before she was able to stand._

_ Cinderheart leaped forward, comforting her littermate with soothing whispers and apologies for not saving her sooner. Lilypaw felt terrible for not helping Poppyfrost out when she was being choked savagely, ruthlessly… but not she, not Seed, not anybody would dare face up to Honeyfern. _I wonder if Cinderheart regrets naming her daughter after this monster.

_ "Greetings, Honeyfern." _

_ Lilypaw blinked and turned back around from where she and her living sisters were retracing their steps, Poppyfrost stumbling weakly._

_ She didn't recognize the large tom that appeared out of the mist behind Honeyfern. He had a handsome golden-brown pelt and amber eyes now tainted with irritation. Then Lilypaw realized who this cat must be- Molepaw. The only tom Sorreltail and Brackenfur had, who died as an apprentice, who Molefoot was named after. Lilypaw's lone brother._

_ Seed was gaping too, while Poppyfrost and Cinderheart's eyes filled with love for their brother. "Molepaw-" Cinderheart started, but the tomcat- a spitting image of his father- raised his tail for silence._

_ He ventured closer to Honeyfern, fangs showing that glinted a pearly white, lacking the stains older cats had on their teeth who had consumed much more prey._

_ "If I had known about this long, _long _ago, I would certainly have stopped it." Molepaw hissed. Honeyfern looked a bit threatened by him, and she stepped back uncertainly as he stepped forward. For the first time since she entered this dream, Lilypaw felt truly protected. "Honeyfern, I challenge you to a fight. If I win, our sisters will remain fine."_

_ Honeyfern sniggered. "And if _I _win, the spell-that-cannot-be-uncast stays, and…" She turned and glanced over at Lilypaw and the others. "… one of them dies."_

_ Suddenly Poppyfrost surged forward, yellow eyes blazing. "No." Suddenly her expression softened as she looked to Molepaw. "Molepaw, I can't let you do this. She's unstoppable!"_

_ Molepaw snorted and crouched down, waggling his hindquarters as though he were a kit preparing to pounce on a leaf. "Don't discourage me. It'll only make me weaker. Besides, my mentor taught me a thing or two before I died." _

_ Honeyfern caterwauled as Molepaw engulfed her in a flurry of brown fur. Molepaw returned her screech, raking his claws down her side. The tabby curled her lip and dug her teeth into her sibling's flailing tail._

_ Lilypaw watched helplessly as the two scuffled, tooth, claw, and all. Seed tried to move forward and help Molepaw, but Cinderheart stopped her. "It seems wrong to think so, but I feel like this is the right thing for them. It- it's their destiny," the gray tabby mewed to a infuriated Seed._

_ Suddenly, a sickening _riiiip_- and then a _thud_- slashed through the air. Lilypaw spun and found Molepaw, chest heaving, pinning Honeyfern to the ground. The StarClan duo were bloody and battered, but neither looked as if they were about to give up. "Hopefully, when you die this second time, it'll be all the more painful," Molepaw thundered with the tough authority of a leader. Honeyfern thrashed in his grip in a vain attempt of escape, to no avail. "Stop wriggling. It's no use. StarClan has given me strength too, you know," Molepaw went on, nose wrinkled. "Your time is over, you beast. Rot in the Dark Forest." With that, he dug his claws one final time into Honeyfern's exposed throat. She jerked once then fell still- and so did Molepaw. _

_ The tom collapsed suddenly, eyes already glazing over. Cinderheart and Poppyfrost detached themselves from the furious Seed and scrambled over to their brother. _

_ A huge, gruesome gash was in his chest; something Honeyfern had given him before she was defeated. Lilypaw rushed over to the scene too- and noticed that the brown tabby was already fading away._

_ "Molepaw, no!" Cinderheart squeaked, her lake-blue gaze glistening as she gazed down helplessly at the golden-brown tabby. Poppyfrost stared around wildly, clearly searching for healing herbs and cobwebs to stop the endless gush of blood pouring out of Molepaw's muscly breast._

_ "There's nothing you can do," Molepaw murmured. A raspy purr rumbled up his torn throat. Poppyfrost's shoulders sagged as her eyes flicked back over to him. _

_ "But-"_

_ "Nothing," Molepaw confirmed, eerily calm. "You were right to not help me. The reason I died from 'cough the first time was for this. Honeyfern was born with a seed of evil planted in her heart… a- and she…" A series of feeble coughs interrupted his sentence, and Lilypaw felt the beat of her own heart in her throat. "… she was never meant to do any good. That seed finally germinated when Berrynose and Poppyfrost got together. Everything that has happened in our family to this moment was meant to be."_

_ Molepaw's fading amber gaze flashed to Cinderheart. "Don't fret about naming your kit after Honeyfern- this Honeykit will be a strong and loyal warrior all her life. Stonekit is an… intelli- intelligent young cat. He will have a fine life."_

_ "What about Flint-" Cinderheart started, but Molepaw was already on to Seed._

_ "You are a brave young cat, little sister. I wish I could have gotten to know you better, as well as Lilypaw. But don't let your feelings get ahead of you- you could put others in grave danger from making bad choices._

_ "Oh, Lilypaw, selfless young soul. Be valiant; you'll never know what's coming next." Molepaw's words plunged Lilypaw into a great state of wonder; whatever did he mean by that?_

_ "Poppyfrost. I do not have long to live. But I know I will go to a good place." Molepaw tugged a weak gulp of air into his failing lungs. "You were correct on your assumpt- assumption about… your- your-"_

_ Just then, Molepaw's head fell back. He writhed a few times, then went motionless._

**OoOoO**

After waking up, Lilypaw lay in her nest a long time, reflecting.

Honeyfern was dead. Again.

Molepaw was dead. Again.

They had argued, fought, even; battled viciously to the death. Molepaw, as classic epic and meaningful deaths took place, spoke a few many words to his sisters before passing, forever disappearing into a world unknown, an underworld that double-death cats were forced to go to.

Lilypaw was so dazed, she was hardly aware of the meeting taking place in the cave at the moment. All she could think about was her horrid dream.

"… one cat from each Clan will go… "

"And someone from the Tribe… ?"

"… sure… sure…"

The tabby apprentice then sat bolt upright as one word stuck to her like a burden: lake. She crawled out of her nest, cringing as her bedding was shuffled aside and her paws touched cold stone. Lilypaw stumbled all the way to the heart of the humongous crowd, where her fur was warmed from the body heat.

"What's going on?" she half-whispered, half-croaked to a dark ginger WindClan apprentice who she had almost bumped into a few moments before.

His green eyes flashed as he glanced at her warily. "Who are you?" he demanded, and Lilypaw noticed he was visibly trembling. _He just came from the other cave._

"Lilypaw," she replied, gaining consciousness with each breath, shoulder twitch, and tail-flick. "From ThunderClan."

"O- oh," the young tom meowed, his voice distorted from the shaking. "I'm… Quickpaw of WindClan. Or call me Slowpaw, if you like. That's what the kits say, at least." Quickpaw stared at his paws sullenly.

Lilypaw offered a friendly smile, though he wasn't looking at her. "I thought all WindClan cats were quick," she tried, but then realized it was a little too close to home. "I mean, um… I think all WindClan cats are quick. You'd definitely beat me in a race."

Quickpaw lifted his head, suddenly interested. "Really? You think so?" he grilled.

"Of course. Now, what's going on?" Lilypaw repeated.

The ginger tom sighed, fixing his grass-colored gaze on the front of the cavern, where Stoneteller and the four Clan leaders sat talking. Their voices were a buzz in the back of Lilypaw's mind, however; besides Quickpaw, her dream still consumed most of her mind in abrupt, chilling flashes. _Honeyfern threatening… Molepaw coming… death… blood… battle… the prophecy was never true… _

"The Clan leaders want to send some cats back toward the lake to see how it is," Quickpaw informed her more steadily this time. "Stoneteller is now trying to convince them to bring a Tribe cat as well, but StarClan knows why."

Lilypaw finally focused as best as she could on the argument up ahead.

"Four cats is plenty," Ashfoot was growling. "It shouldn't take any more than a half-moon or a moon. The lesser the amount of warriors, the better."

"Maybe a medicine cat should go, just in case?" Reedstar suggested, creases showing in his dark forehead.

Bramblestar sighed and glanced at Stoneteller. "Stoneteller, you may add one of your cats if you wish, but I don't understand why you would want to. The journey for these four cats will be as harsh as anything, especially since it's leaf-bare."

Stoneteller stared at the Clan leaders incredulously. "Are your brains made of fuzz? With a cat from the Tribe of Rushing Water to assist your oh-so-special felines, he or she can guide them through the mountains to reach this lake."

Rowanstar appeared to be very impatient at this point. "Whatever you want. Now let's get a move on."

The ThunderClan leader faced the curious cats below, amber orbs of eyes unwavering. For a couple heartbeats all was silent; then Bramblestar spoke. "Cats, as I'm sure you have all assumed, we are sending four-" He glanced meaningfully at Stoneteller. "- or five cats to check on the lake. If it is fine, then we shall return to it and give the Tribe no more trouble. If it is not, well…"

"I'm sure it will be safe," Rowanstar snapped.

"We will worry about that if it happens," Bramblestar verified. "So, the ThunderClan cat to go will be Molefoot." Lilypaw found Poppyfrost nearby in the crowd, just as bleary-eyed and grief-stricken as she was. The tortoiseshell stiffened at hearing her young son's name.

Ashfoot moved forward, nostrils flared. "WindClan's cat will be Leaftail."

Reedstar joined the gray she-cat at the edge of the rock. "Icewing, I trust you to represent RiverClan in this journey."

Rowanstar growled and shoved himself to stand a bit ahead of the other three leaders. "Shrewfoot for ShadowClan."

Lilypaw felt Quickpaw tense beside her; then he murmured, "Molefoot, Leaftail, Icewing, and Shrewfoot are going to check the lake."

* * *

**Yay, just finished this today, finally. Poor Quickpaw gets bullied by the meanie WindClan kits.**

**So... I might have the one Tribe queen give birth at some point, so if you have OCs with Tribe names that you would like to submit, feel free to do so :3**


	11. The Third Delivery

**Moonpebble of Lightningclan: Great names, thanks for submitting them! Unfortunately, Ice and Rain are already cats in the Tribe at the moment, so I used them in the folktale Moss told the kits. Hope you don't mind ^-^'**

**RollingUpHigh: I liked Peak and Sleet the best, so I used them for Splash's actual litter. Did you recognize Fallen and Breeze in the Moss's story though?**

**lavi0123: Your third review! Thanks :3 I used both Eagle and Leaf as a reward for your several reviews on this fanfic. Thanks again!**

* * *

Seed stood very still, watching as the four chosen cats departed the cave and disappeared into the white blur of snowfall. They were going to see how the lake was, and if they returned reporting that all was clear, well… where would Seed go?

The ginger she-cat sighed, glancing from the Clan cats milling around to where Stoneteller sat at the rear of the cavern, still debating with Bramblestar, Rowanstar, Ashfoot, and Reedstar. The dark gray tom had done so much for her, from accepting her to allowing her to become an actual to-be of the Tribe, along with Lark and Pine.

But then another thought popped into her mind: Honeyfern's prophecy, and the dream last night. It was horrid and gory, and she could hardly believe she and her good-hearted sisters had lived through it.

Seed blinked hard, clearing her green gaze of the haze that had started to creep around the edges of her vision from not blinking so long. Where were Lilypaw, Cinderheart, and Poppyfrost now?

She scanned the crowd, then raked it, then dissected it thoroughly until she was able to pick out her littermate's dark tabby pelt among the others.

"Lilypaw!" Seed yowled over the buzz of countless conversations, each pitched higher and higher to be heard through the constant drone. Her sister spun from where she was talking with a dark ginger tom who reeked of WindClan.

"Bye, Quickpaw," Lilypaw mewed swiftly to the other apprentice, who promptly scurried off into the mixture of pelts.

Despite the crisis of last night, Seed smirked. "Got a new crush, I see?"

Lilypaw flattened her ears, embarrassment making her skin blush under the thin, delicate fur on her face. "No, he is just an acquaintance who helped me catch up after waking up from… well, you know."

Seed shuddered. "Don't remind me." She pulled Lilypaw off to a clump of particularly comfortable-looking nests. "I can't believe we'll never get to fully meet our brother."

"Yeah." Lilypaw shuffled her paws, tearing a bit at the moss with her claws shakily. "I mean, who knows where he is now." Her pretty amber eyes clouded as she, most likely, pictured the slightly smaller copy of their father in her head.

"It's tragic," Seed agreed honestly. "I feel like we could have helped him, but mouse-brained Cinderheart kept me back-"

"No," Lilypaw interrupted wistfully. "She was right." She focused on Seed firmly. "It was always Honeyfern and Molepaw's destiny to, well, basically fight to the death against each other. It's weird, but when you really think about it, it feels right. Sadly, they were the more unfortunate two among the six of Sorreltail and Brackenfur's kits."

"I still wish things could have turned out differently," Seed retorted. Calm amber eyes met green ones, ignited with a fire of anger. The way Lilypaw looked at her, it made Seed pause… and think.

She was right. It was their destiny all along.

**OoOoO**

A little later, Seed lay by the warm, milky area of the cavern- the "nursery". Though her dream with her sisters still disturbed her, it wasn't all that bad if she just sent it to the darkest corners of her mind.

Moss, a light brown queen with vibrant blue eyes, was keeping nearly all the Clan and Tribe kits entertained with some stories, and Seed had hung around to listen to it.

"… now, this is the legend of Ice and Rain, a brother and sister from long ago-"

"My name is Ice!" Moss's daughter, Ice, leaped forward, pale blue gaze shining. "And there's a Rain too!"

"Never mind that," Moss purred, stroking her younger offspring's spine with her long tail. "This Ice is a tom- his full name was Ice that Forms on Stream, and he had gray and white fur. His sister, Rain from Storming Clouds, was white with gray flecks. Now, one day as kits, they were getting excited about their to-be ceremony, which was coming up within the next moon…"

Seed closed her eyes, and imagined the tale, word by word, in her mind…

_Ice proudly proclaimed that he was going to be a cave-guard. His sister scoffed and replied, "No way. You're lithe and tiny. Look at me, on the other paw! I have strong, big muscles. I'm more fit to be a cave-guard than you. You should be a prey-hunter."_

_ This discouraged Ice, but he vowed to become a cave-guard no matter what. Every day, he observed an older tom who was about seven moons. His name was Fallen Leaves of Autumn, and he had huge green eyes with a radiant orange-and-white coat. Fallen was a handsome young cat, and he was training to be a cave-guard. Ice never found the courage to speak to his hero until one morning just a sunset before his to-be ceremony._

_ Ice tried to ignore the laughter coming from Rain and her friend, Breeze from Grazing Clouds. Breeze was a cream tabby she-cat with blue eyes, and she was truly beautiful. Ice had been admiring her up until then._

_ Finally, brave little Ice reached Fallen. The big tom turned to him and asked, "What do you want, kit?"_

_ Ice swallowed his fear, puffed out his chest, and meowed, "I want to be a cave-guard like you, Fallen. Could you show me some cool moves-"_

_ "Don't have time. Sorry," Fallen, clearly distracted, sidestepped the kit and trotted off to one of his friends._

_ This fed Ice's inner anger and pain. The following evening, at his to-be ceremony, he was put with a prey-hunter mentor. Rain was given a cave-guard._

_ The evening after that, Ice disappeared-_

"Oh, Moss, are you sure that story is suitable for kits?" A light brown tabby she-cat, belly round with kits, heaved herself into a thick and mossy nest nearby the storyteller and her audience.

"Don't worry, Splash," Moss assured her fellow kit-mother with a wave of her tail. "This is only the legend of Ice the-" She stopped herself mid-sentence and turned back to the small ones. "Well, I won't spoil it for you all. Anyway…"

_The evening after that, Ice disappeared. Rain only snorted and declared that he was going out to guard a cave somewhere and prove himself to the tribe as a cave-guard. With that, she walked away._

_ In truth, Ice had ventured on a path, one unknown by his Tribemates, one that paws hadn't touched in many moons. Ice knew that he was a prey-hunter now, and there was no getting out of it._

I will bring back an eagle, big, great, and gold, to show the others that I am fine with this, _Ice thought determinedly, though he knew very well himself that he wasn't fine with being in a measly position under his sister._

_ Back in the cave a quarter-moon later, there was no sign of Ice. Ice and Rain's mother grew very worried, and she became thin and frail and sick. Soon she passed on to Endless Hunting, weak and depressed._

"That's terrible!" squeaked a light gray tabby tom from RiverClan. His ears were flattened, and his sky-colored eyes were huge in terror.

_Now back to Ice- he had struck gold far away at a rocky cliff, literally. The young tom, though his pelt reeked of apprehension, and come upon an enormous golden eagle's nest, where two eggs sat, one having yet to hatch, and the other shattered into innumerable tiny pieces. A dark, wet lump was beside the broken egg. This was clearly an eaglet who had just emerged from its warm home of an egg moments ago._

The mother must be out hunting, _Ice thought to himself from his perch a few fox-lengths above the exposed nest. He licked his chops, thinking of sinking his teeth into fresh bird meat, but he knew that he might be gambling away his life by taking one of the newborn eagles. _The adult female eagle would kill me, ripping me to shreds until my guts were scattered all over the mountains, _thought Ice._

_ So he waited. Waited, you say? Yes, Ice waited until that first eagle chick had grown into a massive male. Ice grew thinner, staying on that one rock ledge that overlooked the nest, as he only ate small scraps of meat that the mother eagle threw up in the air unknowingly to her hungry predator. _

_ The second egg hatched a female, but she hardly had time to take her first gulp of air before she was snatched up by a hawk while the male and his mother were out on a flying lesson. _

_ Then, one day, the mother left. She left her son to fend for himself alone in the nest. Ice was now later in his moons, almost a full-size tomcat. His time to capture his long-fantasized golden eagle loomed closer._

_ Another moon passed. Then another. Ice's belly had sunken deep into his body, hiding behind his prominent ribs. He was starving, and there's no other way to put it. He was ready. He was ready to catch this eagle, kill it, and return to his sister and prove to her that he wasn't just a useless little twerp._

_ On the third day of greenleaf, the sun shined down brightly on the eagle's lengthy golden feathers. For some odd reason he lingered by the nest he had been raised in, perhaps hoping for his mother's return._

_ Without thinking, Ice pounced. He had had a long while to think over his plans- but he didn't, nevertheless. He pounced onto that eagle, barely giving it a chance to release a _caw _of shock before burying his claws into its neck._

_ It hadn't been difficult at all. Ice had ailing strength and an ailing life if he didn't eat soon, but he had done it._

"Now what?" Larchkit cried, shoving past his brother who gave a warning growl.

"You shall find out," Moss replied.

_Every instinct of Ice's screamed to dive into the eagle. He had enough hunger to consume the whole thing, but the tom forced himself not to. He left the cliff, dragging the fresh-kill in his jaws, and somehow made it back home._

_ All the cats were shocked to see him, Rain most of all. She and Fallen had happened to become mates, and they had been sharing tongues together when Ice happened to blunder in, bloodshot eyes wild as he pulled in his eagle._

_ "Sister, I present you with a golden eagle, fresh from the rocky cliffs far away. I want you to eat it, and as you eat it think of me," Ice rasped. He collapsed to the ground suddenly. He had his chance to eat; he was twig-thin and famished, but he wanted his well-fed littermate to eat his eagle, and tell him her apologies._

_ Unfortunately, Rain had other plans. She stood up from her mate and growled at him, "Why should I? What makes you think a golden eagle is so great?"_

_ But the meaty aroma attracted the gray-flecked cat, and soon she was gulping down the eagle, tearing into it furiously as the others looked on. Ice intently watched her chew and swallow every single morsel._

_ "That was the most delicious food I have ever eaten," Rain admitted. "I'm very sorry, brother. How could I ever repay you?"_

_ Ice broke into a fit of half-coughs, half-cackles. "You can pay me with your life," he snarled, fur raised as he turned on his sister, fury alight in his eyes. "That eagle was poisoned. I watched it grow up for many moons, and at one point I snuck meat with maggots into its diet each night. The maggots were infested with a disease, which you now have in your system. You will die, Rain. You will die-"_

"Moss!" Splash yowled. Seed, practically infused into the story- that's how into it she was- glanced over to the tabby queen. She was quivering, and her eyes were just as wild and bloodshot as Seed had imagined Ice's to be when he returned to the Cave of Rushing Water with his eagle.

"I'm sorry," Moss gave in quickly, submissively ducking her head. "I went too far. Sorry, kits. Return to your mothers now, and try to think of a better-"

"No, Moss," Splash gasped. Seed had the feeling that the she-cat was in labor, and a heartbeat later, her thoughts were confirmed. "The kits are coming! Get Screech, get Stoneteller."

Moss's eyes widened, and she pushed her daughters into their nest roughly. "I'll be right back," she assured them before swiftly bounding toward the rear of the cavern.

Seed painstakingly stepped forward toward the distressed she-cat, and, knowing that queens about to give birth could lash out at any given time, kept her distance. "D- do you need anything?" she asked Splash. She remembered how, when she-cats had kits back home, they bit down on a stick to help relieve their pain temporarily. "Maybe a stick?"

"Stick. Sure. Whatever," Splash panted.

Seed turned away to find a stick, and just then Stoneteller burst into the scene, toting a bundle of herbs in his jaws. Screech, Splash's mate, and Moss were on his heels.

"Keep back… Moss, stay with your kits… Screech- Screech, no! Somebody hold him back… !" Stoneteller's orders faded into the distance as Seed shot out into Tribe territory.

**OoOoO**

By the time Seed returned with a decent stick, two kits were already born. She hurled it to Stoneteller, who gave a nod of thanks and passed it on to Splash. Within a few moments the wood was splinters in the brown tabby's teeth.

The Clan cats and Tribe cats especially all waited with bated breath for the arrival of the final two kits. The third tumbled into the nest. Seed watched, disgusted and fascinated at once, as the fourth came to the world.

_These kits have a home. They have parents. They have love. They're secure. They're not standing on the blurred line between Clan and Tribe, not knowing which way to turn. _

Seed still stayed nearby Screech and Splash as the couple named their newborns. She barely knew them, yet felt so close.

The first-born was a tom with gray fur. He was named Peak from Towering Mountain by his father.

Peak's sister was an orange and white tabby who received the name Sleet from Hailing Blizzard, or Sleet for short.

After that was Eagle that Swoops at Night, or Eagle, a light brown tom.

Finally, the small but tough runt, a light brown she-cat, became Leaf; Leaf that Floats on Wind.

Seed felt warm inside.

**OoOoO**

"What do you need me for?" Bramblestar asked, turning around from his strained discussion with Rowanstar to address Seed.

"Me and my sisters- we have to talk to you about something _very _important," Seed told him swiftly, silently begging him to understand.

Realization dawned in the dark tabby's coppery eyes, and he excused himself from the ShadowClan leader to follow Seed through the crowd, dodging rolling, playful kit bundles and nodding some hellos to familiar felines, until they reached the overhang where Cinderheart, Poppyfrost, and Lilypaw were huddled. Honeykit and Stonekit were asleep in the curve of Cinderheart's belly; Flintkit was off with Lionblaze.

Seed settled down next to Lilypaw, and Bramblestar pushed aside some uncomfortable nests thrown together with a few chunks of moss to sit and face the she-cats.

"Well?" he meowed.

Poppyfrost licked her healing paw tenderly and glanced at Cinderheart. Cinderheart bit her lip and looked to Lilypaw. Lilypaw gulped and faced Seed. Seed sighed. _Guess I'll do the talking then._

"Bramblestar, remember the prophecy you got from Honeyfern about us a while back?" Seed queried.

"Yes." Bramblestar spoke with hesitation. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, there's something wrong," Seed said a bit more sharply than she would have preferred; she shaved off the abrasive side of her tone and went on. "It was fake. Honeyfern was jealous of us and made it up to fool us."

Bramblestar's fur bristled. "Are you serious?" he demanded, rising to his paws with his fangs bared. "That is wrong in so many ways-"

"I'm serious," Seed replied. She ran her green orbs of eyes over all her siblings. "We're all serious. But you can't reach Honeyfern- she, um, died. She and Molepaw fought in a dream all four of us had last night in StarClan."

Bramblestar lowered his hackles and sat down again with a groan. "I'm truly sorry. I never would've thought that Honeyfern was up to no good."

"That's not all," Seed cut in deliberately. "When Stoneteller was tending to Poppyfrost's paw a while ago, he found two cats' faces in his pool-"

"Dovewing and Ivypool," Poppyfrost breathed, eyes blazing.

"They're still the stars, huh?" The dark brown tabby shrugged helplessly. "Guess Firestar's kin is hanging around for a long time yet."

Seed pursed her lips and let her head bob up and down slowly. "Yeah, I guess they are."

**OoOoO**

In the obsidian blackness of the night, Seed glimpsed a flicker of movement at the lip of the cavern. She popped open a second suspicious green eye and growled softly. All around her, unfamiliar or familiar cats rolled around or stayed still in their sleep. The ginger tabby felt apprehension pulse through her, pumping along with blood out of her heart. _I have to find out what's going on, _she thought.

Seed detangled her legs from the mess of moss and crumbled leaves that was her nest; then she stood. Now she was looming over a hushed apprentice-size brown tom who slightly smelled like fish. _RiverClan. Now, how can I step over him and the five cats in a row after?_

Breath rattled in Seed's squished lungs as she bent down, rump in the air. _One. _She shifted her paws, brushing aside the stray bedding so her claws wouldn't snag onto anything. _Two. _Deep breath- inhale and exhale. Yes, inhale and exhale. _Three! _

The peach-colored she-cat gathered up her hind legs and then pushed off of them, feeling like a rabbit soaring across WindClan's moor as she sailed over the brown tom, that tabby, the gray she-cat… _two more cats_, Seed thought, willing her body to push a little further in the air over the final pair of asleep felines.

She wriggled desperately in midair, dread controlling her jerky, useless movements as she felt herself get lower and lower to the ground. She managed to get over the second-to-last cat, but she landed _smack _onto the last cat in the row, a tabby queen with kinky fur.

Surprisingly, the she-cat didn't screech. Her pelt reeked of pine forest- ShadowClan. Seed rolled off of her, muttering apologies and that she just had to go make dirt before scurrying off toward the front of the cave.

Outside, clouds shrouded by darkness were unleashing a flurry of pure white snowflakes. Luckily, the snow didn't stick to the ground and Seed was able to pick her way safely a few fox-lengths out of the Cave of Rushing Water.

Seed knew not to call out _hello_ because it would give her position away. Instead, she remained silent and waited behind a boulder, eyes fixed on where she had seen the movement.

"Seed, is that really you?" A raspy voice reached through the snowfall, hitting Seed's ears with startling calmness. The young she-cat shuffled around, still crouched, and gulped.

It was Flora.

Scars, fresh and old, puffy and pink-red, parted the rogue's fur in many places. One of Flora's eyes was twitching every few heartbeats, and one of her ears was practically torn off completely. She was so pale and frail against the falling white clumps that she almost looked like a ghost.

"Flora, yes, i- it is me. Where's Stripes, and Flick?"

"Flick? He's dead." Flora hesitated and looked off to the side thoughtfully. "Stripes? I don't know."

Seed had never respected Flick all that much, but to apperceive that he was dead was jarring news. "That's… terrible, Flora. You must be devastated." Then Seed remembered the cruel cat Flora was.

The brown-patched rogue howled with bittersweet laughter. "Terrible? Perhaps. Devastating? I'd say not. Now-"

"I'm not surprised to hear that from the she-cat who traded me with the Tribe as though I were a dead mouse!" Seed seethed.

"Simmer down, sweetheart. I'm sure you're having a better time there than you ever would've with us measly 'rogues'. Now, as I was going to say before, why are you out here?"

Seed stared at her, confounded but still stern. "Why do you think? I was just taking a stroll in the middle of the night in the freezing air and cold snow…"

All of a sudden, Seed felt claws mash into her neck, and she fell back in a flurry of ginger fur. She forced open her eyes again and met another pair of matching olive irises that burned into her flesh with chilling ferocity.

"I need you to do me a favor-"

"Why would I do you a favor?"

"Shut up! I need you to do me a favor, and I need you to do it quick," Flora demanded. "I want you… to kill me."

Seed felt a pang of apprehension stir in her belly. When she didn't reply right away, Flora pushed her paws further against the apricot-furred apprentice's throat. Bile bubbled at the bottom of Seed's lungs, sending a burning sensation that caused her to wretch.

"Here, now you answer." Flora withdrew both paws from Seed's windpipe and replaced them with one glistening talon.

"I don't want to kill you, no matter how much I hate you. Now clear off before I-" Seed stopped herself, realizing what she would have said. _Now clear off before I _kill you_. StarClan… _

Flora simpered. "I know what you were going to say. So say it." She stroked her claw over the velvety fur by Seed's neck.

The inferior she-cat squirmed, but somehow Flora held great strength in that one barb-like tool.

"Kill you!"

"Say it all," Flora purred, clearly enjoying this.

"Now clear off before I kill you."

The brown-and-white female chuckled and looked around with feigned coyness. "Looks like I'm not clearing off. Guess you'll have to kill me, maggot heart."

Seed started at the insult. Her muscles tensed, and her throat throbbed under Flora's lonely claw.

"Bashful little kit," Flora taunted, chest vibrating from her purrs. "Don't be afraid, little one. I'm _easy_ to take down."

"I am far from a mouse-brain. I can resist-" Seed began, but she was unable to go on as a searing pain scampered down her neck area, just over her collarbone, breaking through the delicate layer of skin and allowing blood to gush out. It was hardly a scrape, but as beads of scarlet gathered at Seed's neck, fury flooded into her body. In a swift, single movement, she reared up like a terrified horse, though she was far from that emotion at the moment.

She flipped Flora over, landing the older cat on her stomach and crushing her into the snow.

"Very easy to take down," Seed hissed in Flora's one perked ear. It wasn't much of a satisfying experience though; the rogue only wriggled a little bit underneath the ginger she-cat.

Seed ignored this and decided to go for it. She unsheathed her claws and grinded them over Flora's back, creating a pattern of red zigzags and slashed lines that soon were filled with blood. A low moan of pain was pushed out from Flora's lips; Seed slammed herself down on her barely-flailing opponent's windpipe and fitted her jaws around Flora's slender neck.

"I hated my life anywa-" Flora's sentence was interrupted by a _crack_. Seed stepped back and shook the blood from her fur, then gazed at the murder she committed.

_Flora asked for it. _Seed tried to think only this as she lugged the limp body towards a snowdrift just outside the Tribe's boundaries. She pummeled her paws against the ice-coated surface then cracked through the frozen water, digging deeper until a gaping hole sat there, making it look like the snowdrift had a gaping mouth. Seed carelessly shoved Flora's body into the wintry grave, leaving the white-dappled she-cat haphazardly stacked against the frozen walls. Seed filled in the hole.

She retraced her pawsteps, covering up every noticeable spot or trail of blood that was hardly her own. Then Seed found herself standing above the place where she had slaughtered Flora. She nudged snow onto the crimson-stained area until it was in clumps, dark on the bottom and silver on top.

Seed trudged a few more fox-lengths closer to the cavern. Then she halted, and shot a fleeting look back. A thought padded through her mind; then she spoke it aloud.

"I have made a kill that is not prey. Though my paws are clean now, they will forever be scarlet paw prints on my heart. I am no longer the rogue Seed, but the apprentice, Seedpaw. That is my name, my name that I should have stuck with all along."

Seedpaw lifted her chin and went on her way.

**OoOoO**

"Lilypaw, I want to talk to you." Seedpaw prodded her sister's shoulder, and Lilypaw rolled over quickly. Seedpaw had the tingling feeling that the dark tabby had already been awake.

"Yes, Seed?" Lilypaw mewed, stifling a yawn, sitting up and rasping her prickly tongue over a few stray tufts of fur.

Lilypaw had chosen her nest in a more deserted area, and not too many cats were still sleeping nearby, and if any were, they were totally out. Therefore, Seedpaw chose to keep their discussion right there.

"Where to?" Lilypaw queried, commencing to rise to her paws.

"Park it," Seedpaw slapped her tail down on Lilypaw's back, and her sibling's rump immediately shot down into her nest.

"A bit harsh, don't you think?"

Seedpaw's shoulders fluttered up in a lackluster manner. "Look, I just went to let you know that I'm not Seed anymore."

Lilypaw's eyes lit up into radiant golden suns. "Oh! Have you sprouted into a _Flower _now?"

Laughter softly touched Seedpaw's lips, craning them upward into a wan grin. "No. I want to be called Seedpaw again." She obscured her muzzle into the cascades of lush brown fur on her sister. "I'll never be as good as you, but I think the name fits me better."

Lilypaw pulled away, and though she tried to mask the pain in her eyes, Seedpaw could see right through it. "Stop saying I'm better than you, because it's not true. You're smart, funny, and-"

"Why say that about the cat who is held back in her training a moon?" Seedpaw mumbled glumly.

"Seedpaw. Listen to me," Lilypaw meowed. "Every lily needs a seed to grow."

Now it's was Seedpaw's turn to lean back, confusion glittering in the green orbs on her face. "What is that supposed to mean?" she grilled.

"Think about it," murmured her sister. "Why do you think our parents named us Lilykit and Seedkit? You were born second, but were a fighter from the start. Brackenfur had already named me Lilykit, but our mother called you Seedkit because she believed you would be the one to guide me. And you have." She paused. "Don't you remember Sorreltail telling us that story?"

Realization pooled like water around Seedpaw's paws and it continued to rise until it was over the ginger female's ears and everything seemed to move in slow motion. Suddenly the water drained, and Seedpaw, imagining she and her littermate soaked, purred softly. "I do remember. I haven't done much to 'guide' you yet, but I promise that…"

She was interrupted by Lilypaw resting her muzzle on Seedpaw's shoulder. "I don't care what you do, just as long as you stay as Seedpaw and you stay my sister, here with me," Lilypaw declared, voice muffled from her sibling's thick fur. "I love you."

Seedpaw hesitated. Then she responded, "I love you too. You're a pretty neat sister."

Lilypaw glanced up at her, amber eyes glittering with amusement. "I'm pretty neat? That's all?"

Her sibling smirked. "Yep."

**OoOoO**

Honeykit frowned. Deep indentations formed in her forehead as her face drooped. "That's all you have?" she whined.

Seedpaw prodded the tiny pebble she had presented to the kit back toward her chest and shrugged helplessly. "You don't want to play with poor Mister Pebble? He's very lonely."

Flintkit scuttled over and snatched the tiny stone from Seedpaw's outstretched claws. "_I'll _play with Mister Pebble!" he offered cheerfully, but at that point he was already darting breathlessly, tossing the pebble from paw to paw, dodging flailing legs and tails.

His sister watched him for a moment but then joined in, squealing as he hit the stone toward her. She caught it just before it could sail right under her belly, and rolled under a few cats before throwing it back to her littermate.

"They are so funny," Lilypaw purred from her place next to Seedpaw. "I want to have kits of my own someday." Her smiling face turned toward Seedpaw. "Don't you?"

A bit taken aback, Seedpaw mumbled, "I- I, um, never really thought about it. There aren't really any toms our age…"

"Sure," Lilypaw chortled. "There's Snowpaw, and Dewpaw. But Snowpaw's mine for the taking, before you can do anything fishy."

Seedpaw laughed. "Whatever you'd like."

Honeykit and Flintkit went on passing Mister Pebble back and forth until they grew tired and fell asleep in Lilypaw and Seedpaw's curled forelegs, respectively. As Seedpaw stared down at her little gray nephew, warmth spread through her.

_This is my family. And I never should have abandoned them._

* * *

**Seedpaw's back! Hopefully for good, right?**


	12. The Stealing

**Moonpebble of Lightningclan: Alright and thanks a million!**

**Oh, and just letting you know, this is a pretty strange chapter. It involves a dream within a dream and- oh well, I'll let you read and find out ;) Cinderheart POV.**

* * *

A wintry wind swirled into the cavern, buffeting Cinderheart's fur. She growled in annoyance and turned her head away, shivering.

It was very early in the morning- dawn, most likely. But there was no way Cinderheart was going outside to check. Just out of the cave, snow battered the mountains, covering it in a deep coating of more snow.

At her belly, Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit shivered madly, their tiny bodies trembling in a rhythm that seemed to help warm each other, but not by much.

Cinderheart remembered the cats who had been sent to check the lake, including her nephew. _Poppyfrost must be bouncing from paw to paw, _she thought with a touch of amusement.

"Don't worry, sweethearts," she murmured soothingly to the gold-and-gray trio. "Soon we'll be out of this place." _I hope._

Suddenly Honeykit spoke up, her voice pitched and slightly shaky. "B- but I thought this _was _our home, Mama." She then set her chin down on Flintkit's neck, who grumbled either meaning "get off" or "thanks for the warmth".

Cinderheart couldn't blame her daughter for thinking the mountains was their home- StarClan, they had been born there! If only she had waited to have kits until the end of leaf-bare, maybe they would've traveled to the mountains and back and the kits would be born in the stone hollow, not an unfamiliar mossy clearing.

Just like Tribe kits', the little ones' pads were already hard and dark gray rather than a tender pink, signifying their strength against the rough, bumpy surface of the Cave of Rushing Water. Their fur grew in thick and coarse; Cinderheart almost expected them to roll in mud next. Not to mention how much they liked the snow, and said how they wanted to play in it, and whether they wanted to be a prey-hunter or cave-guard (Honeykit, cave-guard; Flintkit, cave-guard; Stonekit, prey-hunter "if he _had _to").

The gray tabby queen felt a pang sear her heart. _My kits are supposed to be _Clan _kits! Their names aren't Honey that Drips from Hive, or- or… okay, stop, Cinderheart. You're going to make sure that your offspring knows where their loyalties truly lie. The Tribe is nice and all, but it's not where they belong._

Abruptly Cinderheart straightened her legs, rising her to her full height and sending the little cats tumbling deeper into the nest. They sighed gratefully and nestled deeper into the heated place where their mother had been, but then Cinderheart whipped them up and sat them down before her. The cold stone woke them up within no time- and with waking up brought whining from the two older kits.

"Whyyyyy?" Honeykit lamented as if one of her loved ones had just died.

Flintkit hunched his shoulders and fixed a death-glare on Cinderheart.

Stonekit smoothed down his fur and gazed up at the full-grown she-cat, blue eyes sparkling with carefully concealed excitement.

"Kits, I have something important to talk to you three about," Cinderheart meowed tightly. "Your father and I have failed so far to inform you, but now I-"

Flintkit scrutinized her through his dark beady eyes. "What does 'inform' mean?"

Cinderheart smiled at him. She still had a full tank of patience. She could take questions left and right from her kits for a moon! "It means to tell you, or let you know of something. Okay, so now I am going to tell you that… you aren't part of the Tribe. I'm not, Lionblaze isn't, not Lilypaw or Seed- Seedpaw. We are actually all part of the Clans, and there are four: Thunder, Shadow, Wind, and River. We are members of ThunderClan, led by Bramblestar." The gray-furred female paused for a heartbeat, wondering if this was too much information to feed them at once. However, the kits seemed intrigued and a bit stunned by it, so clearly they were paying attention and understood at least half of what she was meowing. "I was still waiting for you all to be born when the lake, where the Clans live, flooded. You were born in a mossy clearing in the mountains, and a little while ago were brought here, to the Tribe of Rushing Water. Some cats were sent to see if the lake is fine now, and if it is we will return there. You won't ever be prey-hunters, cave-guards, or healers. You will be warriors."

Honeykit gawked. "I can't believe it!" she squeaked. Her voice was too high for Cinderheart to be able to decipher an emotion from it.

Flintkit's face was easy to dissect though. Obviously, he was disappointed. "The Tribe is sooo cool! Why do we have to go back to the stinky Clans?"

Stonekit was silent; not even a grunt could be heard from him.

"I apologize for not telling you sooner, but-"

She was interrupted by a massive screech that burned the ears of every feline in the place. "Where are my mate and kits?"

Instantly Honeykit and her brothers reformed into a cluster of pained mewls and quivers. Cinderheart found Lionblaze and told him to guard them in their nest before shouldering her way through the throng of worried cats.

Deep in the warmest depths of the cave, a black tom- Screech- stood over an empty nest of scattered moss, utter shock plain in his eyes and on his muzzle.

Stoneteller nearly knocked over a few brown-smeared prey-hunters and lithe warriors in the process of reaching the scene. "What's going on?" he demanded. The gray male stared pointedly at the dispersed bedding as well, then muttered, "That's odd. Splash and the kits are missing?"

He lifted his head and opened his mouth again, but before he could talk Moss came face-to-face with him, dwarfed by his great height. "Stoneteller, I'm as perturbed as you are. She was there last night, with all four kits. We had a steady conversation, but it dwindled as we grew more tired. Then I fell asleep with Feather and Ice and that was the last I saw her."

Confusion and anguish stabbed at Cinderheart's lungs, making her breath stagger. _Before the Clans came, another Tribe queen and her kits vanished… now Splash and hers are gone as well. I sense a pattern… but why wasn't Moss taken? As far as I know, she was the next new mother after Night. _

"Good Endless Hunting…" Stoneteller groaned as he swiveled to address the stricken Screech. "Screech, I don't know what to do. We all remember how much grief there was when Night, Whisper, and Finch disappeared, and nevertheless we couldn't locate them. I'll have Stormfur send out as many search parties as possible, but… if this is the same situation as before, we might be out of luck."

Cinderheart's heart shattered, fragile as ice, when the black tom collapsed onto the stale moss, body heaving as he sobbed.

She remembered his newborns, a pair of each gender: Peak, Sleet, Eagle, and Leaf. It didn't seem possible. How could five cats get taken without a single soul noticing?

Just then, a pale gray she-cat who had the muscle-thick build of a cave-guard but a pelt caked with earth like a prey-hunter (perhaps she changed positions?) padded up to Screech. "Don't worry, brother," she murmured, and the faint darker gray flecks flickering on her coat reminded Cinderheart of a name: _Pebble_. She recalled Lionblaze telling her one time about how, when he had traveled here as an apprentice, there had been a grumpy back tom- Screech- a bouncy gray she-cat- Pebble- and a pretty brown tabby with a stumpy tail- Splash. Screech and Pebble were siblings; Screech and Splash were lovers.

A spritz of gold fogged her vision, and she blinked, finding herself muzzle-to-muzzle with Lionblaze. Instinctively she stiffened; he had been the guard for-

"Lilypaw and Seed… paw are watching them," Lionblaze told her. His plumy tail was kinked over his back, and Cinderheart then noticed that Foxleap and Toadstep had filed out behind him into what almost looked like a battle triangle.

"What's going on?" she mewed, offering her mate an intimate nudge.

Lionblaze glanced back at the other two toms and ducked his head. Robotically, Foxleap and Toadstep slid back behind the sun-colored male. "We're going to talk with Stoneteller. We want them to use the Clans' method of putting up a night watch at maybe one or two posts. If there had been someone up when both queens were stolen- or, left, they would've been saved." He swallowed. "What do you think?"

_At least he's not an impulsive tom who makes decisions without asking others first, _Cinderheart thought in spite of her uncertainty about the situation. "Wellll…" she began, trying her best to be as casual as she could. "Already someone managed to convince them to use the patrolling technique. Perhaps it would be a bit much to squeeze in another Clan idea into their routine."

His lips shriveled, and Cinderheart tried to focus on his feverishly-twitching tail tip rather than Lionblaze's perplexed facial features. "_Well_, I'm going to try anyway. One prod in Stoneteller's shoulder won't kill anybody." As he passed with Foxleap and Toadstep marching at his tail, Cinderheart could see the hurt and confusion. _He can do what he likes. For now, I must get back to my kits. _

But then her pupils flitted to where Stormfur, who was well-preserved despite his older age, was putting together patrols for Splash. _Or maybe I could help there first. Lilypaw and her sister are fine babysitters. I shouldn't worry._

**OoOoO**

She ended up on a motley group with one timid pasty gray WindClan tom and a defiant, sharp-tongued gray-and-white RiverClan she-cat. Old feisty Sandstorm's face flashed into Cinderheart's mind. The old ginger warrior had retired to be an elder immediately after Firestar's death, scarred into silence for the rest of her life, which stretched two moons after her retirement. Dustpelt and Graystripe had joined her; only Graystripe survived up to the point of the flooding. Cinderheart reminisced on how terrified she had been by her mother's wounds following the Great Battle, which had been nearly fatal. In fact, it seemed as if Sorreltail died, since she was unconscious for a while. Brightheart had to feed Lilykit and Seedkit, and a bit after they were weaned, Sorreltail awoke, refreshed and renewed. Brackenfur had been so happy he was jumping on his toes for at least a quarter-moon.

"Wake up, Milky," the RiverClan warrior snapped, lashing her tail in Cinderheart's face. The ashen queen growled, dumbfounded by the other female's irate temper. _Web-footed bully._

"W- why call her Mil- ilky, Petalfur?" stammered the gray tomcat. His skin was virtually white under his thin, unique fur that only cats with WindClan blood had.

Petalfur gave an indifferent toss of her head, as if she was all that and a pile of mice. "Eh. Queen. Smells like milk. Another one of those whiny-" She paused and smirked at Cinderheart. "- excuse my tongue… _mothers_."

Cinderheart's hackles shot up, and she bared her teeth. "With an attitude like yours, you'd never be a good mother!"

The WindClan cat's size was opposite of his voice. He was huge, with large round paws that made him more RiverClan-like if it weren't for that pelt. Light gray fur brushed Cinderheart's nose as he shoved between the quarreling she-cats. "S- stop it, you two. We… we… we're supposed to work together-"

"Save the stutter for the kits, Boulderfur," Petalfur cut in. "StarClan, you talk like my apprentice did on her first day as a 'paw." A breeze crept through the stony meadow they had stopped in, rummaging through the cats' fur and sending a chill up Cinderheart's spine. Now she was completely fluffed up, not just for her anger. "Ugh, look, I'm just angry because of this horrid place. I got stuck next to _him_ for sleeping in that other lowly cave, and had to hear his stutter all night when he attempted speaking with his crush-"

"Stop," Boulderfur growled. He pushed past Petalfur with so much force she almost fell over.

Cinderheart shot a seething glare at Petalfur and then followed Boulderfur, tail raised high in the air.

**OoOoO**

There had been no scent trail for Splash. _Zip, _thought Cinderheart glumly as she reentered the cavern much later that night, tail dragging. Boulderfur and Petalfur had ignored each other in awkward speechlessness, and Cinderheart was caught in the middle like a fly in a spider's web.

Poor Lilypaw and Seedpaw had been stuck watching over the kits all day, and dark circles hung limply under their eyes when Cinderheart finally turned up. She thanked them immensely and promised them a break for a while before collapsing in her nest, swiftly curling her tail around Honeykit, Flintkit, and Stonekit. Everything faded into a haze, and then, blackness.

**OoOoO**

A rough growl scratched through Cinderheart's ear canal. She squeaked as sharp, ruthless teeth dug into her scruff, but her cry was interrupted as a leaf was stuffed into her mouth; it was too big to chew or swallow whole, and she was left flabbergasted, watching in horror as three more dark shapes snapped up her kits.

_We're the next victims! But why so soon after Splash? _The thought was a temporary skip through the gray warrior's mind; regardless of the intense pain she felt coming from her neck as she was dragged out of the Cave of Rushing Water, there was no alarming scent and no sound from the ragged figures taking her and her kits. She slipped back into sleep.

**OoOoO**

"Idiot, you are. No need to take more cats after new additions." A voice, gruff and abrasive from the thick accent it carried, and faint since it came from the other side of a wall, greeted Cinderheart the next morning.

She managed to crack open one lazy eyelid and found herself within the limits of a dark brown stone den. She was confined to a cramped space, and two other she-cats slept beside her. Instantly Cinderheart saw Splash to her left, tabby fur rumpled. The female to her right had ebony fur, darker than a starless night. There was no doubt; this was definitely Night, Sheer's long-lost mate.

Then instinct kicked in, and Cinderheart shot up, raking her surroundings for her kits. Not too far away, there was a stick barricade separated from the rest of the open space. Nine furry lumps could be counted, and only two were unfamiliar to Cinderheart, and they were the biggest of all, most likely apprentice-size… Night's daughters.

There was no sign of the unsettling silhouettes from the evening before, and this ruffled Cinderheart's fur. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst out.

The slate-furred queen waved her tail in front of Splash's face. The tabby's nose twitched; nothing. Cinderheart was about to try again when the other she-cat awoke.

"What do you want now?" she screeched. Cinderheart practically tumbled on top of Night. Splash's wild, absent beryl eyes landed on the other conscious feline, and with that Splash relaxed. "Oh, they're not here…" she murmured. Then she eyed Cinderheart up and down. "Hey, you look familiar." Her forehead crinkled. "Kidnapped last night, huh? They just get more and more ambitious."

_Who's "they"? _Cinderheart was desperate to ask, but right now the most important thing was knowing _where _she was. "Yes, I'm Cinderheart of ThunderClan. I'm faintly aware of being taken from my nest last night… a- and my kits…"

Splash turned her cheek. Cinderheart suppressed a gasp at the thin, treacherous scar that parted her new denmate's fur, leaving the vulnerable skin pink and puffy. "I was stolen the night before the last… this scar is because I struggled a bit in their grasp." She shook her head. "I'm glad that I finally know Night and her kits are safe here. Sheer would be so relieved if I were allowed to tell him. He's lucky that Moss wasn't nabbed too, or he'd be forever heartbroken. But anyway, we'll be stuck here for a while, until our kits are completely grown. Then they release us, though not without a few wounds to think about." She shuddered.

Cinderheart added a shudder of her own as well. "Who is 'they'?"

"The…" Splash shaved off the edge on her voice and slathered on a new layer of quietness. "… Phantoms of the Night. It sounds cliché, but there isn't a-"

"G' morning, Splash." A new voice joined the strained conversation, and Cinderheart twisted to glimpse the black she-cat. The black she-cat seemed to mirror her curiosity and surprise. "They already retrieved another? Oh, well, I apologize for being blunt like that. They take she-cats and their kits as if we're objects. Anyhow, I am Night- Night of No Stars, though those last three words of my name have been dropped ever since I first set paw in this cave. After all, it reminds me too much of my former home."

Spiky holly leaves of concern and sympathy for the raven-black female drove themselves deep into Cinderheart's tail and legs, seeming to flatten them to the ground. A gob of saliva slid its way down her throat, and then she croaked, "But you can leave! As soon as your daughters are grown-"

"In that case I'd never see them again," Night explained, rather fatigued. _She's used to this place! _"The other option is to remain sleeping in this cavern each night and roam their territory each day with my daughters- as long as they agree to stay."

A jolt gripped Cinderheart as she realized what her future would be like; bleak and pointless, as long as she was here. "There has to be a way…" she tried.

"They have no scent; and our scent gets blotted out when they touch us. That's why there was no trail. And this cave is very far away from the Tribe's cave; they're fast. We are here forever."

Night's words were now just empty breaths. Cinderheart embedded her claws in her arid, crunchy bedding and screeched, "Get out here, condescending fools!"

"Shut up-" Splash started, fear knotted in her tone. But it was too late, and four shapes sped out of the neighboring cave, entering the cavern their prisoners were in.

Cinderheart shrunk back at the pure sight. Their hideousness was undisguised; the first three were colossal, with thick soot pelts and endlessly long tails and legs. Their faces were odd; the leader of the group had no eyes, just empty sockets were they had once been. The second creature had no nose, and in its place was a bare spot with dried blood. The third thing had no mouth, just a scarred and wounded area. The final cat was a ratty silver tabby tom who Cinderheart recognized from the depths of her mind. Then she realized… Stripes, one of the rogues who had so fearlessly attacked the Clans before they reach the Cave of Rushing Water! But where were his partners in crime?

The disfigured, eyeless animal stepped forward, its pointed ears twitching. Then it roared, "Mindless loon. Though I cannot see you, I can hear you just fine. Do not think we are _condescending fools_. Now memorize my face, every single hair and speck of blood, because this is the face you shall stare out for the remainder of your life, she-cat, unless you'd like to abandon your kits forever." A fearful squeak tumbled out from the fenced-in area. _My Flintkit! _"I am Dim. The one without the nose is Dinge, and the one missing his lips is Drab; though let it be known that Drab has not lost his voice box, and is perfectly capable of grunting insults at you." Together, Dim and Dinge cackled, their ugly voices hammering Cinderheart's ears with a barrage of hurt. Drab's scarred muzzle wrinkled and he growled. "There you go, there's your first example," Dim laughed.

_This is too weird. This can't be possible. It's too much…_ Cinderheart squeezed shut her eyelids and dug one claw into her side. _Please let me wake up, please don't let this be real…_

**OoOoO**

"Mommy, wake up! I wanna feed!"

The familiar cave appeared before Cinderheart, blurred for a moment by the film on her tired eyes. Then she jerked upwards, and a tsunami of relief made her collapse and expose her belly so that her kits could suckle.

She couldn't believe. It had all just been a dream. But by the looks of the trudging felines all around her, Splash was still missing- as well as Night.

However, if her dream had been truthful, some indispensable facts had been force-fed to her by that disgusting beast called Dim. Cinderheart tried to erase his face that lacking anything that gave him sight; something had massacred Dim long ago, something even more fearsome that him, something Cinderheart preferred not to think about as the tiny vulnerable domestic cat she was.

A startling nip startled Cinderheart, and she glanced down at her offspring. Stonekit lifted his head and rubbed his cheek where his kitten teeth where growing in. "Sorry, Mama," he apologized sincerely, swiping his tongue around his milk-sodden muzzle.

"It's fine, dear," Cinderheart mumbled vacantly.

She jumped a little when a huge hawk caked with snow was dropped before her. As usual, the kits squealed and burrowed deeper into her belly, grossed out by the fresh-kill.

Lionblaze stared down at her when she glanced up. "Wow… thanks," she murmured. "It must have been difficult to find that out there." She leaned down and sliced one claw through the cold flesh, cutting through to the warm meat inside. The gray striped queen relished each bite as if it were her last and ate until she was gorged.

Without uttering a peep, Lionblaze gobbled down his share noiselessly before passing the bird on to Poppyfrost and Berrynose, who were sitting nearby and looking hungry.

_There's something not right about him. _Cinderheart's worried thought was then drowned out by her voice meowing delicately, "So, how did the conference with Stoneteller go?"

Startlingly, Lionblaze straightened up and brightened, like the sun had been brought right into the cave to illuminate his dashing golden pelt. "Glad you asked," he purred. "Well, Foxleap and Toadstep and I ended up adding Bramblestar to our group, and in the end we were a pretty fair mix of confidence, determination, skill, and calmness. So without hesitation I led them all straight to Stoneteller's precious little cave. We proposed the idea to him right away, and you know what he says? You know what he says, Cinderheart?"

"Well, I wasn't there, so I can only assume-"

"He said _no_. Just straight out, plain as day, _no_. I marched out of there quicker than that hawk tried to escape me in my claws." Now Lionblaze's smile had curled into a nasty grimace that led to Dim meandering through Cinderheart's mind again. She snarled and couldn't push him out of there soon enough.

She found her tail smacking up and down rapidly on the ground, much in similarity of a beaver's tail. Cinderheart stilled it and then murmured, "He was foolish to deny your idea. Doesn't he care about his queens and kits?"

Her mate's head was a temporary golden smudge as he nodded earnestly. "Exactly. Oh well, it's his Tribe."

"Is that dreadful hawk gone yet?" squeaked Honeykit.

_Is that dreadful Dim gone from my mind yet? _Cinderheart immediately could answer her own question, and it wasn't a positive answer. _Nope._

**OoOoO**

By coincidence, perhaps, Cinderheart was sandwiched between Sheer and Screech for supper that night. As she picked at her scrubby vole, she spied each tom equally out of the corner of her eye.

Sheer's face clearly had a mask on; from up close one could see the pain hidden in his amber eyes, the sags under his young gaze disguised by his thick brown fur. _He still misses Night. Moss is no replacement for her. _Cinderheart realized how similar his situation was with Berrynose's. _Unless Poppyfrost has told him… what happened, then he must still miss _her_. _

Screech had no reason to hide his depression. He bore paw-deep creases on his forehead, wrinkles on his crinkled muzzle, and amber eyes deprived of any vigor or passion.

_I know what I must do. I'm going to talk to them about my dream. _At first Cinderheart thought with tenacity. However, she speculated. _… or maybe I should reconsider. I mean, they don't really know me all that well. They might even think I've lost my brain! _

Before she had a chance to stop herself, Cinderheart spoke. "Um, Sheer? Screech?" In one single, diligent motion both broad heads swung toward her. Both of their expressions were stained with the longing to see their loved ones again, whether their parting had been for moons or days.

"Yes?" Sheer growled. It was clearer than river water that he didn't appreciate being seen talking with a Clan cat in his own home.

"I'm Cinderheart," she treaded cautiously, knowing that she was on dangerous territory; these toms' hearts. "and I had a dream last night. Both Night and Splash were in it."

At the mention of Splash's name, Screech rocketed forward until his nose was less than a whisker-length away from Cinderheart's parted jaws. She felt as if she were about to bite his nose off with the way they were positioned, and the black male seemed to sense the discomfort so he backed away, a fresh dollop of hope shining in his eyes. Meanwhile, Sheer only had a dab of interest showing. He mumbled, "How do you know you saw my mate?"

"Because I saw your daughters," Cinderheart meowed, still unfazed. "I mean, the two you had with your first mate. Also, Night introduced herself."

Sheer jammed his shoulders upward until he was in a pouty hunch that made him look moons older. "And how do you know this isn't a fictional dream?"

She tilted her head. "Well, I was never actually there in real life, so it technically _is _fictional. Everything might still play out in that exact same location, just without me."

The dark tabby's chest inflated as he inhaled deeply. Then he exhaled the air in short puffs; finally Sheer gave a permissive nod for Cinderheart to continue.

"From what I can remember, I woke up in a brown cave. Splash was sleeping to my left, and Night was at my right. I woke Splash up first, since I recognized her, and she explained the situation there. I then saw nine kits behind a fence made of sticks… there were… th- there were…" An opaque wall suddenly slammed down before any other fragments of Cinderheart's dream could flow through steadily, like a dam preventing any water from coming past.

"You don't remember anything else," Sheer grumbled. "It proves you were just making things up. That shows you don't know _anything _about Night."

Moss appeared between Screech and Sheer, her head a light brown smear as she glanced from tom to tom. "What is this about Night?"

Now it was Sheer's turn to stutter. "Um, I, er, um, this crazy Clan cat here, Cindersomething, is talking about a dream she supposedly had with-"

Abruptly Moss's blue eyes froze into chilling cobalt ice. She growled, "I've heard enough from you. Cinder, come talk with me."

"Actually, it's Cinderheart- uh, never mind."

**OoOoO**

"What antics are you up to, she-cat? I want them right here, right now, without any tweaking. I want to know everything you've done to affect my relationship with him."

"Sheer… ?" Cinderheart wheezed.

"No, Stoneteller! Of course I mean Screech. Tell me _everything_," Moss demanded. The ice in her gaze had melted into liquid sapphire lava that scorched Cinderheart's skin, burning her to a helpless crisp.

A measly bit of confidence returned to Cinderheart, but it was enough to power her through replying. "I- I don't know why you're so fired up about hearing Night's name. I never intended to harm you or Sheer in any way. I just randomly ended up in a brown cave, and Splash and Night were there, and I-"

Moss threw her head back, and for a split heartbeat Cinderheart thought- or more so hoped- that the queen would just chuckle and say she was joking all along. But instead, Moss released a penetrating yowl that bounced off the walls of the empty cave nearby the Tribe's waterfall that they stood in. The screech rung in Cinderheart's ears until she figured she was going to go deaf.

Then the seemingly-interminable sound was cut off by Moss's voice, coming again just as ruthless and frigid as before. "Let me tell you a story, cat with the cinder heart."

_Cat with the cinder heart? StarClan, was I involved in an actual prophecy all this time? _

"I was always in love with Sheer, from the moment I first laid my puny eyes on him as a kit." Moss's rump shot down onto the cold stone and she flicked a moistened paw over her whiskers, clearing them of the small drops of snow that had gathered during the walk over there. "Moons later, when he ended up with Night, I was, needless to say, _furious_." The word was spoken with such a grating tone that Cinderheart cringed. "And then they go and have kits! She was pretty close to having them the last time some Clan cats visited. The night Whisper and Finch were born, I receieved a dream from my dear mother who clearly saw how troubled I was. She told me that one day, the cat with the heart of cinder will save me from the night of no stars. Then, Night and her daughters disappeared! I wasn't behind any of that, but my mother visited me again the evening after and told me about three phantoms, Dim, Dinge, and Drab. They had taken Night and the kits and had despicable plans for them. I was proud and relieved, and managed to make Sheer fall in love with me a little while after. Then I bore his kits, our two lovely daughters-"

_Now the Tribe has a Honeyfern versus Poppyfrost over Berrynose problem too! _

"You fool! You heartless, mindless, nasty fox-dung! To risk all that for the stupid thing known as love!" Cinderheart burst out. Her fur was fluffed out so far that it almost covered her view of an obviously shocked Moss. "I was betrayed too, once, not too long ago. At least, I thought I was. As it turned out, he sacrificed his relationship with me for another she-cat, and despite the anger I felt, it showed how loyal he was to ones special to him, and when I gave birth to his kits I confirmed we were still mates. I could've taken a much darker path to take out my fury, but I held it in and now I look where I am. I have a loving mate, kits, and the best kin any cat could ask for. Instead, you fell into your mother's trap and allowed yourself to turn onto roads swathed by shadow and pain, and you… y- you…" Cinderheart's legs caved in, and she fell to the ground sobbing. Moss stood before her, speechless and stricken.

When the pale earth-colored female's lips opened again, it didn't sound like her voice at all. Cinderheart glanced up and did a double-take. Moss had transformed into Lionblaze. Her sleek face broadened into his familiar, handsome golden facial features. Her blue eyes dulled down to a mellow amber, and before she could take another breath Cinderheart felt urgent prods in her shoulder.

Her jaws gaping into a huge yawn, Cinderheart rolled over and blinked open her eyes.

Sure enough, Lionblaze sat before her, stopping his poking now that he saw she was awake.

"Hmm… ?" she groaned, placing one paw gingerly atop her forehead. It was hot to the touch, and she winced as a sharp pain zapped through her brain. She felt tired, and endlessly freezing.

"You were asleep for a long time, and at some point you developed a fever. It must have been some dream you had; you kept yowling and carrying on."

Cinderheart nudged her way upwards, though it was difficult since her sickness made it feel like a heavyweight was pressing down on her. "What do you mean? Is Splash gone?" At Lionblaze's slightly puzzled head shake of _no_, she laid back down, letting one final shaky breath rattle through her lungs before she returned to sleep.

It was all a dream.

* * *

**If you are familiar with my other fanfic, Colorful Sky (if not go check it out :|), then you must be frustrated that I've fooled you again with it all being just a dream. (*Just a Dream by Nelly pops into head*) So anyway, sorry for it being so long since I last updated (I was at Disney World for a week!).**

**Happy holidays! I'm sooo glad to be out of school! :'D**


	13. The Death

**Flamestar- ThunderClan Leader: I'm glad you like it. And Sandstorm, though she grieved heavily for her mate, died peacefully in her sleep as an elder. I'd say she surpassed ten years, at least in my version of the story post-TLH :)**

**Nightfeather of Thunderclan: Thank you very much!**

**Shiningheart of ThunderClan: I'm glad you liked the weird chapter XD I was kinda out of ideas at that point, so I just came up with the phantoms thing, then decided it was too elaborate for a Warriors fanfic and just made it all part of Cinderheart's big dream. That's an idea, though. We'll see what Cinderheart decides to do in her next chapter...**

**I'm glad all the ThunderClanners like my story ;3**

* * *

A tornado of thoughts swirled through Poppyfrost's mind. The tortoiseshell squeaked in alarm as the thought of Molefoot falling off a cliff hit her. A shot of anger towards Bramblestar invaded her veins, making her blood pulse through her body at a higher rate than normal.

Why did he have to send literally the _youngest _warrior on a dangerous journey like that? Cherrystem had even been named before him, and besides, what experience did Molefoot have trekking through the mountains with unfamiliar rival Clan cats?

Poppyfrost imagined him floundering through a snowstorm, the other cats far ahead and not bothering to help him. She growled and flexed her claws, then winced as a prick of pain interrupted her senses. The she-cat glanced down and flicked her healing claws carelessly. _Whatever. _My _injuries are the least of my worries at the moment._

"Poppyfrost." At first the prod in her shoulder and name paired urgently with it didn't register; but then Poppyfrost recognized the smudge of cream at the edge of her vision, and she turned to meet Berrynose eye-to-eye.

"Yes… ?" she mumbled.

"I know you said to give our kits some wiggle room, but I'm too worried about them to just sit here and act as though nothing's happened," Berrynose explained carefully. "Therefore, I arranged two meetings."

So far, Poppyfrost had been agreeing with what her mate was saying, but now she stiffened and breezily took in his lanky frame. "Yes?" she repeated.

Berrynose shuffled his paws, for the first time ever looking a bit uncomfortable. "The first one is with Bramblestar, so that he can tell us why he chose our son of all cats to check the lake. And the second one… i- is with Dark… to tell him to be nice to our daughter."

"You're kidding me," Poppyfrost said. "You seriously think a wily young tom will listen to us? Plus, you didn't even 'arrange' anything with him, did you?"

Her question clearly caught Berrynose by surprise, as if she was too stupid to think of objections to his plan. Berrynose just shrugged. "All I want is for our kits to be safe. I just want explanations. You don't have to attend the meetings, but _I _will."

**OoOoO**

Poppyfrost wasn't shocked to find herself following Berrynose over to Bramblestar's nest later the following day. She treaded gingerly on her lame paw, and although its condition had been improving ever since her visits to Stoneteller every other day, right now it hurt more than ever.

As per usual, the ThunderClan leader was talking with Squirrelflight quietly. The tabby's head swung up to stare at them for a few heartbeats as they approached. Then he politely ushered his deputy away and made space for the concerned parents where Bramblestar's mate's nest used to be. For now, the dab of bedding, also known as stale moss, had been flung aside.

"So, Berrynose, Poppyfrost, the idea of this meeting was brought up by the former. Why is it you'd like to speak to me?" Bramblestar's lips moved in flawless rhythm to his words. Though his muzzle was a bit grayed, and some patches of fur especially on his shoulders was frayed from battle wounds of long ago, he remained completely handsome.

"We were just curious as to why you picked Molefoot to be a member of the, er, 'Lake-Check Patrol'," Berrynose meowed confidently.

The cream-colored tom screwed up his face when Bramblestar chuckled. "Oh, it's just that. You see, I wanted to give Molefoot a chance to let go a bit. Not to be blunt, but, well, to get away from his parents. I think you both have been awful clingy to-"

Berrynose leaped to his paws. Poppyfrost lifted her tail to sweep it over his mouth, but it was too late. "What experience do you have parenting?" he snapped.

He still looked defiant as Bramblestar answered calmly. "I raised Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf as if they were my own. At times I still think they are my own. Trust me, I have _plenty _of parenting experience. Yes, I fretted about my kits at times, but most of the time I sat back and let them enjoy themselves- in safety."

"B- but that's what we're trying-" Berrynose tried weakly, but the tabby tom interrupted him.

"The other warriors chosen to go on the trip have a tad bit more wisdom, yes. That RiverClan warrior Icewing is a seasoned mother of four; if Molefoot needs comfort that's his sole source. As for Leaftail, that WindClan cat, he has strength and a cautiously sharpened tongue to keep their group out of danger. And the ShadowClan feline, Shrewfoot. She's the second barrier to surround Molefoot, keeping him out of trouble. There's no harm that could be done to him. Please, _please _do not worry about your son." Bramblestar's affectionate amber eyes sucked Poppyfrost into a world of warmth and peace. As she swam through the coppery waters, the dappled queen realized that there truly wasn't nothing for Molefoot to injure himself on, except for the occasional sharp stone that would stab his pad.

Berrynose stumbled over his words, but his mate stepped up and dipped her head. "Thank you, Bramblestar. We apologize for wasting your time with this meeting."

"It was far from wasting my time!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "No, I remember what being a worried parent felt like." He hesitated. "It felt nice."

**OoOoO**

"'It felt nice'! Ha, as if! I despise being a parent. I despise having to worry and fret every waking heartbeat…" Berrynose's words faded into a buzz in the back of Poppyfrost's mind. She knew he meant well, and that he truly did love his family, but at times he was a bit harsh and it was best to tune him out.

Poppyfrost was starting to see that she was truly unsure about Cherrystem. Viewing love from her daughter's point of view was the definition of difficult. _I wonder if Sorreltail ever felt this way._

She and Berrynose planned to talk with Dark at nightfall, so they still had some time to kill before they'd enrage Cherrystem further.

The tortoiseshell female decided to help out with hunting, and she nodded a brisk goodbye to Berrynose before trotting over to where Gray and Stormfur were assembling patrols.

"Golden-brown tabby, tortoiseshell with yellow eyes, and the two lovebirds over there!" Gray called out. His thin tail flashed over to another group, and Poppyfrost started shuffling toward her father, who had his gaze fixed on somewhere else.

Brackenfur's jaw dropped a bit as Cherrystem and Dark sauntered into view. Poppyfrost slid her claws out and fought the urge to rake them over Dark's well-shaped face.

Without saying a peep to her mother, Cherrystem stalked ahead of Poppyfrost, dragging Dark with her. Brackenfur and Poppyfrost took up the rear, the tom puzzled and the latter sullen.

"What's this about?" the aging warrior muttered into his offspring's ear. Poppyfrost flicked the ear that had been victim to his bad breath and sighed before replying.

"Haven't you noticed? They're smearing their love into every cat's face," she snapped. The patrol made its way out of the cave. Dark, at the lead, took a sharp left. It was a path Poppyfrost was unfamiliar with, and a bitty stone of fear tumbled into her belly.

"Sorry," Brackenfur responded. He bit his lip. "I assume you're tense about this. I always disliked Cinderheart's relationship with Lionblaze, as well as Honeyfern's and your relationship with Berrynose _at first_. But now I can interpret true love when I see my daughters with their mates. I just wish Honeyfern could've been happy too."

What Poppyfrost "disliked" was the fact that Honeyfern had been coughed up into a conversation again. She just twitched one set of whiskers and focused on tracking down some prey.

The frostbitten air unleashed another blast of cold winds, stinging Poppyfrost's nose. The pain was nearly as bad as stepping on a bee.

"What's even the point?" Poppyfrost growled. Brackenfur said something from his place at her left, but the tortoiseshell shoved her father's words away and focused on the back of Dark's head. The deep black of his fur filled her vision until she was blinder than a bat.

"Hey, I got something!" Dark announced. The ebony canvas that had been stretched before Poppyfrost rolled back into the Tribe tom's small, compact head once again. Cherrystem cheered and licked his ear. The stone in Poppyfrost's belly transformed into a boulder of nausea.

"What is it?" Brackenfur asked slowly. The tabby approached Dark, leaving Poppyfrost as the only one left out of the buzzing cluster. She sighed and shoved in between her father and daughter, staring directly at Dark with an unwavering gaze.

"Um, I, er, smell… hawk." Dark's round amber eyes deflated a bit and fluttered to his paws. _Uncomfortable with me again, I see. Well, then take the message and back _away _from my daughter! _

Cherrystem smiled and nudged his head upward again. "That's wonderful." She paused, tilting her chin upwards and parting her jaws. Poppyfrost and Brackenfur mimicked her soon after until, one by one, they snagged the faint scent of hawk on the incoming breeze. "I got it. According to my nose, it's coming from _this _way," the ginger she-cat went on, spinning on her paws until she was directly facing a tall, scraggly tree a few fox-lengths away.

"I suspect there's a nest up there," Brackenfur added, padding closer. The other three felines followed him, all gawking up through the bare branches. Poppyfrost squinted, attempting to find a tangle of small twigs and plants somewhere among the brittle and knobby limbs.

"Wait…" Dark murmured suddenly. His patrolmates spun toward him, and the black tom shrunk back sheepishly. "Well, the hawk isn't in this tree. I see it circling something over there." He pointed with his tail, jabbing at the air a couple times. Simultaneously Poppyfrost, Brackenfur, and Cherrystem swiveled the opposite way.

In the distance, the dark shadow of a lean bird of prey could be glimpsed. Just as Dark described, the hawk was flying over something of interest in a continuous circular motion.

"Why didn't you say so-" Poppyfrost started to demand abrasively, but Cherrystem cut in with an approving gesture towards her might-be-mate.

"This is fantastic! That thing will feed several cats," Cherrystem gushed as if Dark had just discovered a permanent cure for greencough.

Brackenfur ducked his head. "Well then, let's not waste any time. This will be a dangerous task, so the sooner we get it done, the better-"

"Dangerous?" Poppyfrost cut in. She swallowed and glanced back at the massive creature, which still swirled to and fro over the rocky land.

"It could lift a cat up and carry them away," Dark informed her tightly. His black tail, long and thin as a tendril of ivy, wrapped around Cherrystem's shoulders. "You're small, sweet. You'll have to be careful."

Cherrystem bared her teeth playfully. "Who you calling small? You're the size of a _kit_!" Her exaggerated retort was slaughtered by an ear-splitting _cawwwww _from the hawk.

In response, every cat crouched low under the tree. Poppyfrost threw her eyes all over the sky, searching for the bird, which had moved from its original location. She finally spotted it a bit closer than before, flying above a meager copse of tall bushes.

"There must be a small furry animal of some sort in there," Brackenfur whispered to her, but she was only half-listening. All Poppyfrost was aware of was that the bird was closer. This meant that soon they would have to strike.

"Okay, I think I have a plan," Dark murmured. Cherrystem shuffled closer to him and shuddered as she took in the size of the hawk.

"What is it?" Poppyfrost hissed impatiently, grinding her claws into the earth.

Dark timidly elucidated, ears flattened against his head. "Alright, so we approach the hawk slowly, and take cover behind a boulder or such every few moments. When we reach the bushes that appear to be the hawk's target, we'll split up. Cherrystem and I will go left, and P- Poppyfrost and Brackenfur go right. Cherrystem and I will climb up the small cliff adjacent to the bushes, and then we'll try to take down the hawk from there. Poppyfrost and Brackenfur will wait as backup."

"Shouldn't we all go up on the cliff…. ?" Poppyfrost inquired, but her daughter cut into her question.

"I don't know how to take down a huge bird like that!" Cherrystem cried out in fear. "I'm more of a sparrow type of hunter."

"I'll explain when we get up on the cliff top," Dark assured her with soothing strokes from his tail down her spine. Immediately Cherrystem relaxed and melted into his side.

The patrol waited for a little while. Then, startling Poppyfrost out of the snooze she had been falling into, Dark mewed, "Ready? Three…"

"Two…" Cherrystem chimed in.

"One!" Brackenfur bellowed.

As one, they all shot forward, eyes blazing either amber or lonely yellow (Poppyfrost). It didn't take long for them to reach the bushes after a few sheltering stops. Poppyfrost exhaled angrily, watching as Cherrystem and Dark took off from the rest of the group. Brackenfur dragged her to the heart of the bushes, resulting in several scrapes down the cats' flanks. Poppyfrost winced and stumbled after her father, glaring at his twitching ears the whole way. Since when was he so rough?

"Look, I know you're stressed about them, but for once you're going to have to _not _think about that during this hunt. If we catch this hawk, it could feed a dozen cats. Do you really want to sacrifice the hunger of other individuals for your concerns?"

Brackenfur's words stung, and Poppyfrost winced again. "Sorry," she mumbled, flashing back to all the times she'd get scolded as a kit alongside her sisters. "I'm just-"

"I had _three_, and now another two, daughters to fret over," Brackenfur interrupted before she could protest. "Now, be quiet and watch them hunt. Maybe you could stand to be proud of your kits for once."

_I AM proud, _Poppyfrost thought lividly. Then she hesitated, watching the two small figures scrabble up the steep, snowy cliff. _… right?_ _Or do I just worry about them instead of seeing their potential?_

To obscure her frustration, Poppyfrost imagined Dark's black pelt fusing into an assembly of haphazardly-placed brown-and-cream splotches: Molefoot. _Now it really is both my kits. _The hawk finally took notice of its offenders and released another _cawww_, perhaps of amusement or maybe concentration.

_I can take down those lumps of fur and bones with one poke! _

The hawk's beady eyes seemed to drill holes in Cherrystem and Dark's heads. It cried a third time and commenced to soar down toward the felines.

Dark leaned over and muttered something into the ginger female's ear. She nodded and then started running over the flat cliff top.

In turn, the hawk followed her, its huge shadow dappling the light brown surface. A look of unfiltered horror crawled onto Dark's face. The boulder in Poppyfrost's belly had now expanded to one the size of the moon itself, cradling in the dark depths of dread.

Cherrystem shrieked after looking up to see the big bird pursuing her. She skidded to a halt and tried going the other way, but it was too late. The hawk had descended in direction of the ground, of her, its lengthy wings practically darkening the entire cliff top.

Dark screeched, letting out his own battle cry. He crept up on the hawk and then slashed his claws down the bird's side. The prey-hunter ducked and twisted, avoiding losing his ears from those gruesome talons.

Now that the hawk's attention was on Dark, Poppyfrost relaxed a bit. But before long it started flapping over to Cherrystem again, and though Dark fought like a lion he was hapless against the much bigger creature.

Poppyfrost's paws started moving before her brain connected why she was running. She burst out of the brush, drowning out Brackenfur's calls, the hawk's cries, and Cherrystem's yowls for help. She mounted the cliff in no time and bowled over Dark, rolling them over and over until they lay right at the edge of the flattop, staring at the hawk in the sky. A limp body dangled from its blood-tipped feet, and it was at that heartbeat that Poppyfrost realized her only daughter was dead.

Gone.

Just like that.

Without saying goodbye.

A cruel, ruthless death in the mountains, at an age so young, was the death Cherrystem had been offered. And she took it, unknowingly, gambling away a life with a mate and kits. And, most likely, a life with Dark.

Poppyfrost slammed her paw down on Dark's neck and snarled. "You imbecile! You're the reason for my daughter's death!"

Now Brackenfur was up there too, trying push Poppyfrost off of a squirming Dark. Finally the golden-brown tabby separated the breathless pair, but the tortoiseshell still stared scathingly at Dark.

"I loved your daughter, Poppyfrost, and I am sorry for ruining your relationship with her," Dark meowed between pants. "I also apologize for her death. I was a terrible mate-" Dark started, but Poppyfrost interrupted.

"Mate? You were her mate?" Poppyfrost squawked in disbelief.

"I asked her last night… a- and she said yes," Dark informed Poppyfrost, grief woven into his words.

The enraged tortoiseshell's full temper blossomed. "You mindless loon! Cherrystem belonged to _ThunderClan_, not your smelly old Tribe!"

Without thinking, Poppyfrost flung herself down the side of the cliff, scrambling down the steep slope, pebbles skittering at her paws. She blundered blindly through the snow back on the ground, keeping her eyes closed, shutting off her brain, and trusting only her numb nose to lead her back to the cursed Cave of Rushing Water. Somewhere along the way, the last of her patience and warmness was lost in the freezing weather, lost in the snowflakes swirling teasingly around Poppyfrost's muzzle.

Somehow she turned up at the cavern and stood in the entrance, cracking open her half-frozen eyelids.

Some of her Clanmates padded up to her, shocked at her spiked fur that was tipped in snow like mountain peaks and her wild, milky eyes.

"Poppyfrost, what's wrong?" Lilypaw meowed, glancing up from where she had been sharing a small finch with Seedpaw.

Absently Poppyfrost ran her gaze over the congregation that had gathered. Far behind, she thought she could hear the thumping of Brackenfur and Dark's fumbling pawsteps through the snow banks. Somehow Berrynose appeared at her side, flattening down her ruffled fur. Sorreltail flanked her on Poppyfrost's other shoulder, offering comforting licks as she awaited Poppyfrost's response.

Finally Poppyfrost spoke. "Cherrystem is dead."

**OoOoO**

The remainder of the day was a blur. The sun dipped low behind the distant mountaintops, a bloody red paw sinking in a darkening sky. As nightfall approached, Poppyfrost lay stiffly in her nest, injured paw throbbing from her jog back to the cave and voices all around. Each sympathetic comment spoken was directed toward Poppyfrost, Berrynose, and their family. Poppyfrost was cradled between her mate and mother when she fell asleep.

_The dappled female opened her eyes to darkness. She growled, pawing at her eyes to open them, but was surprised to find that they already were. _Have I gone blind? _Poppyfrost wondered._

_ She sat there for a long while in the blackness, not even bothering to walk around. She'd probably bump into a wall or something._

_ "Poppyfrost."_

_ Her head snapped up. Poppyfrost gawked at a blinding light that seemed about a tree-length away. She didn't have any second thoughts; just got up and advanced toward it._

_ Once Poppyfrost arrived a certain distance from it, maybe two mouse-lengths give or take, she discovered that her paws had been sealed to the ground and she could move no further. So Poppyfrost switched her attention to the small ginger kit before, the only thing spotlighted in the field of darkness._

_ The kit didn't seem to notice her. Poppyfrost performed a test by letting out a low caterwaul, which received no response from the kit. Instead the small cat giggled as a slightly bigger brown-and-cream form bowled her over. Poppyfrost did not have to question that it was Cherrystem and Molefoot as kits._

_ The depression weighed on her again as the kits suddenly transformed into eight-moon-old apprentices, scampering through ThunderClan's forest back at the lake. They were walking alongside their mentors, Foxleap and Rosepetal, laughing continuously along the way. Poppyfrost drank in her daughter's scent and pitched, beautiful voice._

_ Next was a more recent vision of the two: in fact, it was during the Clans' trek to the Tribe's cavern. Cherrystem and Molefoot had their ears flat against their heads as they fought their way through the blizzard. Poppyfrost yearned to reach through the thin shield that separated her from the visions and pull her grown kits to her._

_ Suddenly the snowy mist and countless cats vanished. The light dwindled to nothing, and Poppyfrost was launched into a chilly darkness. The silence was deafening. Then the light returned and brought with it a new vision. Poppyfrost leaned in close, gaping at the sight before her. There was Cherrystem again, belly swollen with kits. She sat in a nest somewhere in the Tribe's cave clearly impatiently waiting for someone; no doubt it was Dark. Poppyfrost searched through the constant crowd of cats for her or some familiar Clan feline, but was stunned to find no one recognizable. All that met her eyes were lean, limber cats slathered with mud or big and bulky cats who seemed to consider mud puddles their second home. It eventually registered in Poppyfrost's mind that had Cherrystem lived, she would have discovered she was expecting Dark's kits and stayed back with the Tribe when the Clans finally left the mountains._

_ Poppyfrost snapped back to the vision as a new cat appeared. He was handsome as ever, with his sleek black pelt hardly caked with mud and amber eyes round with concern for his mate. Cherrystem stared up at him and smiled adoringly as Dark set down a small hawk in front of her. Poppyfrost's belly clenched as she recalled the hawk that had taken Cherrystem's life. _It's the same one.

_ The vision swirled into a whirlwind of color, and Poppyfrost had to look away. Then a new sight appeared: Cherrystem and Dark just a few moons afterward, admiring three bitty kits: a black she-kit, ginger tom, and a black-and-ginger tom. Sounds of their names echoed in Poppyfrost's ears as the kits' parents scolded them._

_ That vision didn't last long at all. Poppyfrost was aware of a flicker of unease in the bottom of her stomach. The next sight was one of Cherrystem touching noses with the three kits again, all of whom were much older. Cherrystem then looked past her offspring and out of the cave into a snowstorm of leaf-bares in the future. A gray-and-white tom collapsed into the cavern out of the whiteness, scratched and bloody. Cherrystem leaned down and urgently murmured something to him; the tom heaved for breath, shook his head, and mumbled something forlornly. Cherrystem lifted her head to the sky and yowled, "Noooo!" The flame in Poppyfrost's belly burned steadily as she recognized that Dark had died somehow, lost out in the mountain wilderness forever._

_ The final vision showed a very elderly Cherrystem with a grayed muzzle and patched fur, sitting in a shallow scoop in the ground filled with plush green moss. The she-cat stared blankly at nothing in particular, the bags under her milky amber eyes twitching. She was obviously depressed, sitting there alone in her nest. She couldn't seem to let go of Dark's sudden death from seasons earlier._

_ Then the sight disappeared, fading away until Poppyfrost could only see Cherrystem's dull face. When that was gone too, Poppyfrost felt her alternate daughter's depression hit her in steady, harsh waves. She lowered her head and let out a whine of grief._

_ "Hello, mother." _

_ Poppyfrost looked up and realized that she was now in a field chock-full of heather. Fierce winds clawed at the grass and cats in it, blowing everything loose or uprooted eastward. The clouds in the sky were dark and announced trouble. The feline standing in front of Poppyfrost was no one other than Cherrystem herself._

_ "Oh, my sweet, precious daughter…" Poppyfrost whispered. She tried to step forward to rest her chin on her daughter's forehead, but found that her paws were still stuck to the ground. The she-cat snarled in annoyance but quit when Cherrystem's voice filled her ears, making them tingle._

_ "That is the cat I would've become if I hadn't been carried away by the hawk," Cherrystem meowed. "But Poppyfrost, would you still not have been proud of me? Of my kits? Of my life?"_

_ Creases formed in Poppyfrost's forehead as she thought. _Cherrystem thinks I never was proud of her! Of course I was! Of course I AM! _"Cherrystem you know…" Poppyfrost trailed off as she remembered Brackenfur's words from earlier that day. _Maybe you could stand to be proud of your kits for once. _She swallowed. _I haven't been the best mother, have I?

_Cherrystem appeared to be reading her thoughts. Slowly the ginger female nodded. Suddenly Poppyfrost was free from her confinement attached to the ground, and she bounded over to her daughter, running to cuddle in the star-spangled orange wisps. "Cherrystem, I'm so sorry…" she whispered as twinkling lights from her kit's fur fell all around her. "I never meant to be so harsh. Neither did your father. It just wasn't right for you to be with Dark because-"_

_ "When love is true, everything is right, and anything goes," Cherrystem murmured wistfully. Poppyfrost's heart swelled as she felt her daughter rest her chin atop the tortoiseshell's head._

_ For the longest time, they stood like that, mother and daughter finally connecting for the first time in several moons. Then another ferocious, violent wind stampeded through the clearing, feeling like brittle twigs scraping against Poppyfrost's skin. She winced and forced herself to pull away from Cherrystem and gaze into her somber amber eyes._

_ "Cherrystem, please come back to me. I will do you harm no longer, and I'll let you be with Dark," Poppyfrost pleaded, though it was only half-hearted because she already knew the negative answer._

_ "No can do, mother," Cherrystem mewed. "I was defiant in life, and I remain defiant now. Then again, I have no choice; I am dead."_

_ A sob escaped Poppyfrost, and she collapsed onto the peaty heather as the rough breezes sifted through her fur._

_ "Know that I did not suffer. The kill was instant," Cherrystem promised. "The hawk dug his claws into my sides, and I was gone."_

_ Poppyfrost wailed, the pain of her loss worse than a fresh gash. "I love you, Cherrystem, my lone daughter! I miss you already!"_

_ "I am already among the ranks of the Tribe of Endless Hunting," Cherrystem admitted. "I love you, and miss you too, but I cannot return to earth again. My time of life has ended."_

_ Although Poppyfrost had noticed the mention of where her daughter had chosen to go to in the afterlife, Poppyfrost didn't complain about it. _She wants to be there when Dark dies. HE is her love, her soul mate, not her annoying persistent mother, _the tortoiseshell thought. _

_ "I must let you go now," Cherrystem went on reluctantly. "Maybe we will reunite again before your own death. In life, borders between Clan and Tribe are blurred. But in my new world, the boundary is marked clear. It was difficult enough for that legendary cat Feathertail to go from Endless Hunting to StarClan." The ginger she-cat paused to take a breath. "Poppyfrost, all is forgiven between us and Berrynose. But when you wake up, you must apologize to Dark for the hard time you've given him. Let Molefoot know I love him."_

_ Poppyfrost was confused. She sat up a bit from her place crouched before her daughter and asked, "Aren't you going to visit your mate and your brother?"_

_ Misery crossed over Cherrystem's face temporarily at the mention of this. "I am allowed but one visit after I first die. Of all the other cats to choose, Poppyfrost, I chose you."_

_That was the last time Poppyfrost saw Cherrystem before she was lofted into a spinning torrent of faces, voices, or pure silence._

**OoOoO**

Poppyfrost awoke to more hoards of compassionate condolences. Berrynose sat hunched at her side, his usually lively blue eyes lifeless. The bags under his eyes indicated the sleep he lacked. Sorreltail and Brackenfur were curled up in compact balls on Poppyfrost's other side, just the same way they had fallen asleep.

It was very early dawn outside. Cream streaks were blotting out the indigo evening sky, bringing armies of nebulous white clouds and shots of berry-blue. Poppyfrost marveled at the sky's beauty, feeling oddly comforted by her dream.

"Top of the morning." Berrynose's gravelly voice grated Poppyfrost's ears, and she couldn't suppress a wince.

"Morning to you too," she returned. Poppyfrost hated to see her mate this way. She now realized that seeing love from Cherrystem's point of view wasn't hard; it was the exact same point of view as Poppyfrost's. Berrynose to Poppyfrost was like Dark to Cherrystem. _I have to tell him that Cherrystem visited me! _"Berrynose, can we go talk somewhere?"

"Sure, whatever," he mumbled. Poppyfrost lugged him across the way until they were under the overhang where the sisters had met before. "What is it?" Berrynose rasped once he was situated against the cool stone. His eyes were so pearly he almost looked blind.

"Cherrystem visited me in a dream last night," Poppyfrost told her mourning mate. This caused him to perk up, and a spark ignited in his eyes, washing out the film. "She said that we are forgiven for criticizing her relationship with Dark. She also wanted me to tell you and Molefoot that she loves you both very much."

Berrynose leaned forward, eroding his claws against the rocky floor. "Wasn't she lethargic? Wasn't she sad about dying? Will we see her in StarClan?"

Much to his dismay, Poppyfrost shook her head. "One: not really. Two: honestly, she was quite fine. Three: no. She decided to join the Tribe of Endless Hunting's ranks instead, so she can see Dark upon his death."

The cream-colored warrior curled his lip. "Doesn't she care about her family, and the Clan that raised her?"

Poppyfrost was unable to answer that question. "Just know that she really did love us," she whispered. "And she knows that we really are sorry."

* * *

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